We throw away huge quantities of objects and material long before the end of their useful lives. From t-shirts and toys to lumber and light fixtures, reuse will be a fundamental part of life in a zero waste city.

Along the industrial waterfront of Astoria, Queens, two adjacent facilities present very different models for how reuse centers can contribute to their communities, as well as the city at large. This tour will visit Goodwill Industries’ regional hub for the NY/NJ area to learn about how the organization’s famous thrift stores support its robust slate of job training and youth education programs.

Then, we’ll cross the street to the sprawling warehouse operated by Big Reuse (formerly Build It Green NYC) and see how one of the city’s largest thrift stores has supported the development of a number of new forms of reuse activity, including a commercial compost operation and a sawmill that processes reclaimed lumber from across the area—including the city’s thousands of rooftop water tanks.

Open House New York thanks Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & Northern New Jersey and Big Reuse for making this tour possible.

This tour is part of Getting to Zero: New York + Waste, a year-long series of tours and talks exploring New York City’s waste system.