Durham Circular Resolution
Olivia Merritt, Sustainability Assistant at Self-Help Credit Union
We all hope that 2022 will be better than the last two years. One thing that will ensure a better Triangle in 2022 is implementing policy changes that are pro-circular economy!
For months, the Circular Triangle policy team has worked on a resolution to introduce to the Durham City Council. In the resolution, our team describes how most of the world (including North Carolina) relies on a linear economic system. With a linear economy, resources are extracted and used to make products which are consumed by the general public before being thrown away. The circular economic model runs in sharp contrast to this wasteful paradigm. Circular economies integrate resource reuse and repair into the design of all processes. This way, the first and final steps of the linear economy (resource extraction and waste) are almost completely removed because products are designed to be broken down into reusable parts.
The resolution starts with a series of statements. First, it is remarked that our local communities are currently experiencing many hardships including the pandemic, climate change, and systemic inequality. It also notes that air quality and contamination are worst in low-income areas due to their proximity to toxic waste and nonrenewable energy generation.
The resolution proposes that a circular economy holds the key to mitigating the environmental and health crises that we are facing. Not only will reducing the amount of plastics and chemicals that we consume be helpful in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions but toxic waste sites and harmful contaminants will be limited, leading to healthier air and people.
The resolution calls for the city to become a leader in the transition from a linear to a circular economy. It states that Planning and General Services will be in charge of this transition and open communication about their progress. The City Manager will:
● Determine how to reduce the inequitable pollution exposure in low-income communities by introducing circular practices within waste sectors;
● Guide the Office of Workforce Development to bolster opportunities for green jobs, for new circular businesses, and introduce circular techniques in existing businesses;
● Investigate ways to create circular jobs, especially in groups with high unemployment rates;
● Determine policies that align with the circular economy transition within a certain amount of time from the passing of the resolution; and
● Report out yearly the progress made on transitioning to a more circular economy.
The City of Durham as a whole will:
● Annually report its greenhouse gas emissions, along with resource use, and pollution and waste creation; and
● Encourage the growth and creation of local and regional circular businesses.
A Green-to-Go return box.
This resolution, if passed, will be a milestone for Durham and will pave the way for more Triangle cities to implement circularity policies. It will give more opportunities for locals to create circular businesses like clothing libraries, reusable packaging stores (expansion of Green to Go for instance!), and zero-waste restaurants. It will also put the lower-income communities in Durham at the forefront of health and air quality improvement. So, we wait for 2022 in anticipation as a breakthrough resolution will give our community a chance to take the step in the right direction: away from a linear system and towards a circular one.