When building an intentional community, it is vital to focus on closed-loop systems that enable the sustainable reuse of resources. This not only helps to minimize waste but also strengthens the energy-saving and self-sustaining goals of any ecovillage or intentional living space.
Recycling infrastructure is an essential part of this process. Recycling can take many forms, from composting food and plant matter to managing the re-use of metals and plastics. It is important to understand that recycling does not just mean collecting materials for transport elsewhere, but rather finding ways within your own community to capture, store, and re-use them on site.
For example, a community might turn ash from fires into biochar for soil enrichment or fibers from natural materials into bioceramics for creative projects or insulation materials. In this way, recycling becomes a creative process as well as an important part of sustainability by eliminating reliance on new inputs and eliminating the harmful externalities of useless outputs.
- Building Your Infrastructure
- Recycling Infrastructure
- Closing Loops
- Ash
- Compost
- Composting Food
- Composting Toilets
- Metals
- Plastics
- Biochar
- Fibers
- Bioceramics
- Making Rope
- Recycling Infrastructure