Over 80 percent of Alexandria’s businesses are independently owned, and each creates a culture, impact and experience that can only be found in our city. UpCycle Creative Reuse Center, recently a popup in Del Ray, transforms waste into opportunity through its innovative reuse and community art programs. By collecting and redistributing discarded materials, UpCycle gives new life to items that would otherwise end up in landfills, saving over 50,500 pounds in 2024 alone. 

 

I had the pleasure of being introduced to UpCycle through the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria and was fortunate to participate in one of their classes in September. The class pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to create a work of art from “scraps.” 

 

This type of creative problem solving and purposeful reuse is exactly what our community needs as we navigate the impacts of the government shutdown, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, and evolving trade tariffs. As a community, we are daily challenged to find ways to increase our reliance and transform challenges into opportunities. We are so lucky that we have local businesses like UpCycle to look to for inspiration.