Community Groups & Coalitions
Upstream – along with our nonprofit allies in the reuse movement – supports community groups and coalitions to develop a culture of reuse in their own communities.
These coalitions are bringing reuse to their localities in all kinds of ways, from developing reuse policies and infrastructure to escalating reuse in all kinds of settings – schools, events, airports, academic campuses, sports stadiums, repair and fix-it clinics, and more.
You can get involved in bringing reuse to your community. We know it’s hard to get started, but we are here to help you with the tools and resources you need.
Individuals or organizations are welcome to start their own coalition or join an existing one. You can find existing coalitions and contact information below.
Learn about actions your coalition can take on the Roadmap to Reuse
Southern & Midwestern US
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Austin Reuse Coalition
Led by Into the Sea, 5Gyres, and Upstream. The coalition serves Austin, TX. For more information or to get involved, contact Dawn Rodriguez at Intotheseaorg@gmail.com.
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Central Ohio Reuse Coalition
Led by local volunteers and serving the greater Columbus area. For more information or to get involved, contact Douglas Calem at douglas.calem@gmail.com.
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Minnesota Reusables Coalition
Led by Reuse Minnesota and serving the entire state. To get involved or for more information, visit reusemn.org/MRC or contact Emily Barker at emilybarker@reusemn.org.
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Plastic Free Milwaukee
Led by Milwaukee Riverkeeper & the City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office. For more information or to get involved, contact info@plasticfreemke.org.
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St. Louis Reuse Coalition
Led by 10 Billion Strong, Race to Zero Waste, earthday365 and members of the St. Louis sustainability community. The coalition serves Greater St. Louis, MO. For more information on how to get involved, contact circularstl@gmail.com or visit circularstl.org.
Western US
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LB Reuses (Long Beach, CA)
A collaboration of the Environmental Services Bureau, the BYO shop, Algalita and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. For more information or to get involved, contact Ashley Craig at ashleycraig913@gmail.com.
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Reusable Alameda
Led by Race to Zero Waste and serving Alameda County, CA. For more information or to get involved, contact Teresa Bradley at reusablealameda@gmail.com.
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Reusable Burbank
Serving Burbank, CA. For more information or to get involved, contact Tamala Takahashi at tamala.takahashi@gmail.com.
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Reusable Hawaii
Led by Zero Waste Big Island and Zero Waste Oahu. To get involved or for more information, contact Jennifer Navarra at zerowastebigisland@gmail.com.
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ReusableLA
Led by Heal the Bay and 5Gyres. The coalition serves the greater Los Angeles metro area. To get involved or for more information, please visit www.reusablela.org or contact Alison Walischewski at alison@5gyres.org.
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Reusable Mill Valley
Serving Mill Valley, CA. To get involved or for more information, please contact Linda Corrado at lindacorrado@gmail.com.
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Reusable Reno
Lead by community volunteers. Serving greater Reno, NV. To get involved or for more information, please visit reusablereno.org or contact the Reusable Reno Team at ReusableRenoNV@gmail.com.
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ReusableSF
Led by Plastic Free Fridays and serving the greater Bay Area. To get involved or for more information, please visit reusablesf.org or contact Eva Holman at evaariana@gmail.com.
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Reusable San Mateo
Led by Plastic Free Future, Upstream, and Plastic Free Fridays and serving San Mateo County, CA. To get involved or for more information, please visit reusablesanmateocounty.org or contact Sally Liu at sally.liu@gmail.com.
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Reuse Seattle
A public private partnership led by the City of Seattle and PR3 and serving Seattle, WA. To get involved or for more information, visit reuseseattle.org or contact Amy Larkin with PR3 at alarkin@naturemeansbusiness.com.
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Reusable Sonoma
Led by the County of Sonoma. For more information, contact Sloane Pagel at sloane.pagal@sonoma-county.org.
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Reusable Truckee
Led by the City of Truckee. For more information or to get involved, contact Melissa Conti at mconti@townoftruckee.com.
Eastern US & Canada
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Clean Air Baltimore Coalition
Led by Energy Justice Network and serving Baltimore. To get involved or for more information, contact Steph Compton at steph@energyjustice.net.
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Reuse Portland (ME)
A volunteer-led coalition of Portlanders who are passionate about reuse! Serving Portland and South Portland, ME with a dual focus on policy and implementation. Contact reuseportlandme@gmail.com for more info.
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Reusable New England
Led by Just Zero and the Conservation Law Foundation. The coalition is actively working on campaigns throughout New England. To get involved or for more information, visit reusablenewengland.com or contact Lauren Fernandez at lfernandez@just-zero.org.
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ReusableNYC
Led by Surfrider and serving the five boroughs of New York City. To get involved or for more information, please visit www.reusablenyc.org or contact Matt Gove at mgove@surfider.org.
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Reusable Toronto
Led by the Toronto Environmental Alliance and serving Toronto, Ontario. For more information, visit reusabletoronto.ca or contact Emily Alfred at emily@torontoenvironment.org.
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Zero Waste Ithaca
Lead by local volunteers and serving Ithaca, NY. For more information, visit zerowasteithaca.org or contact Yayoi Koizumi at zerowasteithaca@gmail.com.
Start a Reuse Coalition
We know it can be hard to get started. That’s where Upstream comes in. Our team is here to help. We can provide you with the tools and resources you need to get started. And we’ll support you all the way from getting off the ground, to passing policy, to creating infrastructure and getting your community engaged. Send us an email using the form, and let’s do this together.