Join us in innovating for a cleaner city and more capable communities during the second annual Rethink Hack-a-thon to rethink recycling, this April 2023.

Cintrifuse and the City of Cincinnati are partnering for the 2023 Rethink Recycling Hack-a-thon, which will bring together our community, startup ecosystem, corporate stakeholders, and civic leaders to develop innovative solutions to address the recycling problems in the City of Cincinnati.

In proud partnership with:

What is this year’s hack-a-thon solving?

This year, we are turning our attention to recycling, a process that plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable living. Cincinnati has a strong recycling program, but it is plagued with lack of access, contamination, and supply chain issues.

Why is the problem important to solve? 

30% of all waste in the City of Cincinnati is recyclable & a large percentage of all recycled materials are actually contamination. Additionally, thousands have limited access to private recycling, making it harder to recycle properly. This leads to public drop-off shut downs, increased costs and decreased efficiencies, and a jeopardization to the entire recycling program.

How are we tackling the recycling issue?

We are looking for our region’s best and most civically-oriented minds to help solve our recycling problems through two hack-a-thons: a tech-focused hack and a policy-focused hack. Learn more about each of these options below.

OUR MISSION IS TO ADDRESS THE QUESTION:

How can the city increase effective recycling participation among single family, multi-family, and commercial residences?

Multi-Family Recycling Access & Adoption

Approximately 70,000 families in multi-family homes across Cincinnati do not have access to at-home recycling opportunities due to differing behavior patterns around recycling in each home in the building, physical space constraints, and the necessity of landlord management of the recycling container itself and the associated cost. This leads to significantly lower recycling rates and higher contamination rates in multi-family homes.

Contamination Mitigation

30% of all waste that is thrown away is actually recyclable, and a large percentage of all recycled materials are actually classified as contamination. This is due to a lack of policy regulation around recycling, supply chains issues, and lack of education/knowledge on what actually is and isn’t recyclable. This leads to public recycling drop offs being shut down, increased costs in removing contamination, and an overall jeopardization of the program.

Primary innovation opportunities:

 

How might we empower positive recycling behaviors in individuals and design recycling-friendly packaging to increase recycling rates and decrease contamination? 

Tech-focused hack-a-thon

Are you a startup or innovator interested in utilizing data and the latest technologies to help solve the city’s recycling problem? Then this route is for you! Work with our corporate partners, area experts, and ecosystem support organizations to bring your idea to life. 

Policy-focused hack-a-thon

Are you a sustainability advocate or civic leader interested in creating realistic and innovative policy changes that support communities, consumer behavior change, and new recycling technologies while working within existing laws and legislation? Then this route is for you! Work with our local governmental officials and area experts to bring your idea to life. 

The city’s resources, at your fingertips.

Access to cutting edge data

Hack participants will have access to the city’s open-data platform as well as data sets from corporate partners that will help create data-driven, scalable, and sustainable ideas to turn the tide of recycling in Cincinnati. More information will be available after registration opens.

Office hours and mentoring

Back for a second year are our open office hours, where hack participants can sign up to get area expert coaching from corporate partners and city officials during their allotted time. Prior to the hack itself, one on one mentoring may be available depending of demand and availability. More information will be available after registration opens.

An ecosystem of support

For those participating in the tech-focused hack-a-thon, ecosystem partners will be ready and waiting to provide the support necessary to help you bring your idea life to fruition through sustainability focused accelerators and a Green Business Advisory Council. 

Join us on April 28th to hear from our region’s best and brightest.

Interested in attending the pitch presentations on April 28th to hear from our region’s and nation’s most innovative sustainability minds? We’re happy to have you! 

Pitch presentations will happen on April 28th at Union Hall. More details can be found on our Eventbrite page, located at the link below. 

How One Cincinnati Founder is Solving a City-Wide Problem with Community-focused Innovation

Last year, Lucas Williamson, the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Product Refinery, created the Cleanup Collective, a startup founded through the first annual Rethink Litter Hack-a-thon, held just under a year ago at Union Hall. His motivation to keep building this new startup? “To create a cleaner Cincy for my son to grow up and take pride in.” 

This story is a true case study into the power of intentional collaboration throughout our ecosystem and the Greater Cincinnati region.  During the Rethink Recycling Hack-a-thon this April, we expect more innovation, more startup growth, and more collaboration throughout our ecosystem, making a brighter future for our entire region.

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Get to know Cintrifuse

Cintrifuse’s vision is to make the Greater Cincinnati region the #1 startup ecosystem in the midwest and a top innovation hub in the nation. We aim to accomplish this through a team dedicated to catalyzing the success of the Greater Cincinnati region’s entire startup ecosystem by providing critical ecosystem resources, championing high-potential startups and supporting local big-co innovation. We are thrilled to be partnering with the City of Cincinnati for the second year to continue instilling our communities with innovation and making Cincinnati a better place to live, work, and invest in.

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