Indianapolis Circular Economy Initiative

Indianapolis is the most wasteful city in the United States, not only throwing away valuable recyclable materials but also economic opportunities, including jobs.

Overview

Initiated in early 2019 by the Indiana Recycling Coalition (IRC), the Indianapolis Circular Economy Initiative (ICEI) is a multi-stakeholder, multiyear collaborative effort, in partnership with the City of Indianapolis and many other stakeholders, to address Indianapolis’ recycling challenges, achieve the Thrive Indianapolis Plan goals, generate good and promising jobs, foster innovation, ideas, and investments, and capture the economic, social, and environmental benefits of a thriving circular economy in Indiana.

Our priority to address Indianapolis’ recycling challenges is motivated by the greatest opportunity to influence individual behavior and the urgent need to address policy needs in Indiana’s most populous city. Addressing recycling issues in Indianapolis as an urgent first priority is intended as a springboard for pursuing broader aspects of the circular economy statewide. Led by the Indiana Recycling Coalition, this locally-focused initiative will leverage the organization’s statewide mission to achieve statewide education and advocacy goals in order to achieve the broader vision described above.

The Indianapolis Circular Economy Initiative launched during the September 15, 2020 meeting of the Indianapolis City-Council Commission on Environmental Sustainability. Read the press release and watch the full commission meeting. IRC’s presentation. City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works presentation.

Stakeholders

ICEI currently gathers over two dozen stakeholders representing local and statewide perspectives from human services agencies, governmental and non-governmental agencies, arts and culture organizations, neighborhood organizations, businesses, and waste and recycling organizations. We are not done seeking collaborators; ICEI is continuously and intentionally expanding its list of engaged partners based on a stakeholder mapping process led by the Indiana Recycling Coalition in early 2020 that identified over 100 potential partner organizations in Indianapolis. If your organization is interested in participating, please contact Allyson Mitchell, IRC Executive Director.