Austin joins the circular economy

Austin now has a new circular economy incubator, making it one of three in the country. So it’s understandable that the concept might need some illumination. A joint press release from the city’s Economic Development Department and Austin Resource Recovery announcing the partnership with the Austin Technology Incubator explains the concept: “The incubator will support entrepreneurs and startups whose mission is to provide solutions that contribute to a zero-waste world and solve global challenges in design and reuse. … The Circular Economy Incubator will work to maximize the lifecycle of products and materials by revolutionizing manufacturing processes to ensure the possibility of reuse and recycling.” Mitch Jacobson, director of the Austin Technology Incubator at the University of Texas at Austin, further explained, “We’re doubling down on deep tech, which involves trying to solve big problems with big solutions. That can be clear air, clean water, drugs around cancer or new carbon capture technology. Now, we add circular economy to that impactful list.” For more information, there’s a website.