Waste pollution is one of the biggest and most urgent global challenges mankind faces today. This issue increases together with population growth, fast technological progress and is constantly reinforced by capitalism driven overproduction. Modern societies experience incredibly dangerous moment in history, with highest social inequality rates ever, escalation of various -isms, along with short-sighted populism that both harm democracy and endanger minority groups. Individual people and whole communities suffer social apathy considering themselves powerless and unable to take actions to influence ongoing global processes in line with their best interests and values.
By establishing a multi-stakeholder waste management co-op within our local community we are addressing the challenges of better waste management, recovering renewable resources, reinforcement of democracy, as well as local communities development and empowerment. We are combining operations, forces and resources of various urban stakeholders: commercial companies, governmental institutions and non-governmental organisations, city council, other 6R’s initiatives (Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot) and informal movements. Above all, we reconsider trash as potential renewable resources. We aid companies and organisations in reducing their waste production and reusing renewable resources, supporting their way to sustainability. We collect renewable resources that can be repurposed or up-cycled to establish up-cycling and redistribution centres dispersed in different neighbourhoods of Warsaw. We network 6R’s community, urban projects, municipal efforts, as well as waste producers with potential receivers: other companies and organisations, up-cyclers and individual customers. We engage local communities' human potential into reviewing, gathering, renewing, redistributing and linking processes. All together we co-create a circular economy environment within the city of Warsaw.
We are inspired by various different urban waste management & circular economy cooperatives and initiatives:
- Workers cooperatives of waste pickers, based mainly in South America (Cooperativa de Trabajo Kbrones Ltda. and Creando Conciencia, both from Argentina; Pimp My Carozza from Brazil), along with platforms that network waste producers and collectors to increase both recycling and income of workers (Cataki, Brazil).
- NYC based initiatives like Circular Communities movement, combining projects of a hyperlocal community-managed supply chain systems, design and network (Homegrow.systems and microfood.hub), as well as developing a digital ecosystem to support sustainable community development (COMAS).
- Last, but not least, again NYC based Sure We Can recycling center, community space and sustainability hub; or La Ressourcerie Du Spectacle from Paris, renting all kinds of resources and equipment to organisers and artists.
We hope for mass overproduction of goods to stop, replaced by a circular economy closed-loop system, local production and reproduction of things with minimal impact on the environment. We presume that local communities have enough resources, skills, and experience, to meet their common needs and aspirations; to create a healthier, happier and more secure society.
We consider cooperatives as a one of the most powerful means of building a fair and prospering self empowered community. We believe that social and solidarity economy could contribute to climate considered de-growth, community welfare and social equity.
Additional support needed
- Fundraising
- Additional funds to start off
Mentors with the following experience:
- founder member of a multi-stakeholder co-op that operates in a vast environment and in different sectors, combining operations of various entities, as well as organising co-op workers;
- recycling expert
- financial analyst
- sustainability analyst
- a person involved in an urban initiative, forming a part of urban environment, linked to municipal structures;
- SDG driven venture.