DARN³ is a grassroots campaign to help educate and empower the Dubuque community in reducing landfill discards and divert more currently landfilled materials to beneficial uses.
An estimated two million dollars of unsorted marketable materials and items are buried in the Dubuque landfill every year.
- The City’s 5-year local refuse tonnage landfilled trend-line is UP, and the recycling diversion trend-line is DOWN.
- 40% of Dubuque’s potential curbside recyclables are still placed in the trash and get landfilled.
- This is not sustainability!
Wasting is a systematic problem, but it is solvable, and we need your help
By becoming a DARN³ member, you can be part of this change in our community. DARN³ is also being assisted through a grant from the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency.
Green Dubuque Relation to DARN³
DARN³ is a campaign initiated by Green Dubuque. Since 2007, Green Dubuque has been a citizen-led and volunteer-based 501c3 nonprofit that approaches issues with actionable data and a scientific triple-bottom-line perspective. Green Dubuque, has provided grassroots support for local sustainability – leading initiatives on climate action, complete streets, local food systems, clean air/water and energy efficiency.
Learn more about Green Dubuque
DARN³ first year goals
Welcome 70 local businesses and institutions and promote them as members.
- Include 500 individuals and households as members.
- Provide face-to-face zero-waste education and strategies to 600 members of community groups, businesses and local government.
- Minimize 200 tons of wasted food from landfilling through both food rescue and composting.
- Divert 200 more tons of non-compostable materials to beneficial use.
- Reduce distribution of 300,000 single-use checkout bags