The concept of Earthub first came to Brittanny's mind in 2018. During that year, and in previous ones, she was dedicated to recycling and saving money. Her commitment to environmentalism originates from a family ethos of minimal consumption. Since childhood, she was taught to save every penny for exploring the beauty of our planet—a value deeply ingrained in her.
The sight of perfectly usable items going to waste always bothered Brittanny deeply. It felt like throwing away money, which she found unbearable. As she entered her early twenties, she experienced some mental health challenges, leading to an accumulation of prescription pill bottles (a durable #5 rigid plastic) in perfectly good condition. Despite her efforts to persuade her pharmacy to reuse these bottles for the same medication and person, she consistently faced refusal (though local pharmacies may have different policies - always worth checking!). Discarding these nearly new bottles seemed illogical, prompting her to explore options for their reuse. Her search led her to Matthew 25: Ministries, a humanitarian relief organization in Ohio, which became the ideal recipient for this precious plastic, as they reuse the bottles for medical supplies.
On January 1, 2019, Brittanny launched Earthub with the goal of promoting environmental awareness through her website and collecting items to divert from landfills, starting with used prescription pill bottles. Initially, she undertook the cleaning of these bottles, assuming it would discourage potential donors (a mistake in hindsight), and covered the shipping costs out of pocket. In Earthub's first four months, Brittanny accumulated what she thought was an impressive collection of 104 pill bottles, with shipping costs totaling $17.81 (present-day Earthub requires pill bottles to be donated clean, accompanied by a monetary donation to cover shipping costs - Earthub now receives over 40,000 bottles annually).
Using the influence of social media, the Earthub community flourished, leading to an expansion of item collections. Earthub evolved into a waste diversion system primarily focused on reuse across numerous provinces in Canada and even two states in the USA at one point in time. Together, we aimed to reintroduce these everyday items back into the community. With an engineering background, Brittanny emphasized the importance of collecting data right from Earthub's inception. The team finds motivation in the staggering numbers that reflect the impact of their volunteer efforts. As of mid-2024, Earthub has successfully diverted 650,000 items from the landfill for reuse.
Why Earthub?
What do they do?
Through initiatives like collecting and repurposing items such as prescription pill bottles, Earthub aims to reduce waste and encourage responsible consumption practices. The organization also emphasizes community involvement and the collection of data to track and maximize its environmental impact. Overall, Earthub strives to foster a culture of reuse and conservation to benefit both the environment and local communities.
Earthub's targeted audience includes environmentally-conscious individuals, communities interested in sustainable practices and waste reduction, and those who don’t know where to start! Specifically, the Earthub community appeals to people who are passionate about sustainability, reusing everyday items, and minimizing their environmental footprint. This includes individuals of any age who actively seek ways to contribute to environmental conservation efforts and are willing to participate in initiatives that promote reuse and sustainability. Additionally, Earthub engages with organizations and institutions that share similar values and are interested in partnering to further its mission of diverting items from landfills and promoting environmental stewardship.
Earthub continues to divert items from landfills for reuse, while also optimizing city zones to minimize carbon emissions during distribution to end users. When end users reuse an item, it prevents further production and consumption of that same product if it were purchased new.
Earthub focuses on transforming societal interactions with the environment by promoting sustainable practices and advocating for the conservation of Earth's resources. Their initiatives include:
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They strive to educate individuals and communities about the importance of sustainable living, reducing carbon footprints, and minimizing environmental impact.
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They provide eco-friendly products and solutions that help consumers reduce waste, such as reusable alternatives to single-use plastics, zero-waste kits, and sustainable household items.
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Earthub actively engages in advocacy efforts to promote waste diversion, conservation efforts, and sustainable development practices.
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They foster a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about preserving the planet, encouraging collaboration and collective action towards environmental stewardship.
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They support innovative approaches and research initiatives that contribute to sustainable technologies, green practices, and environmental conservation efforts globally.
“Items to Keep Out of The Landfill” Program
Earthub has created a waste diversion system like no other! The Items to Keep Out of The Landfill program originated from the Founder's frustration of her single-use, plastic prescription pill bottles. Next thing you know, the collection list expanded and more items were being accepted in certain cities as volunteers offered to help.
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The accepted collection items depend on your location. They have a few cities that are 'official' Chapters which mean they collect a variety of items. Some cities across the country only collect the prescription pill bottles.
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You must EMAIL Earthub for the list of drop-off locations. This is a volunteer-run program and most of the drop-off locations are private residences, therefore they do not post these addresses on public forums. Email environment@earthub.ca with your city for the applicable information in your area! They are also always accepting new locations in certain areas, under certain conditions, so make sure to reach out!
Lanark County falls under the Ottawa Chapter, and has a drop-off location in Carleton Place.
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Collect your items and clean them prior to drop-off! Since they are volunteer-run, they do not have the capacity to clean dirty items. Please help them in their efforts to reuse - only drop-off clean items.
Save emissions by dropping your items off in bulk!
Where You Can Find Them
Earthub does not have a public building. The majority of their physical drop-off locations are the homes of their volunteers and for privacy reasons, can only be obtained by email inquiry. Earthub donors can email environment@earthub.ca to receive drop-off instructions and an interactive map with locations where they can drop-off items.
Donate!
Because Earthub tracks monetary donations by city, they ask that donations are made by e-transfer to accounting@earthub.ca with the following information:
Security Question: OTTAWA
Answer: CHAPTER