Community Innovation Fund (CIF) Projects

Since it's inception in 2020, the Rethink Waste Project's Community Innovation Fund has awarded more than $94K to 35 projects that reduce waste in Deschutes County.

Applications are now open for the 2025 funding cycle! See the CIF page for more info or apply.

We want to give a big thanks to our partners – Deschutes County Solid Waste and City of Bend – with additional support from Cascade Disposal and Republic Services that make CIF possible.

Browse through the projects below to see the wide-range of applicants, ideas, and impacts. You can filter with the options below, or click a project for more details.

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From Billboards to Beavers – A Zero-Waste Restoration Project

Think Wild
Think Wild Logo

Think Wild will eliminate single-use plastic waste from riparian restoration by replacing disposable contractor bags with reusable willow harvest bags made from retired billboard vinyl.

2025
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Perfectly Imperfect Food Waste Reduction & Education Program

High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA)
logo reading "perfectly imperfect produce" around a green circle with a white outline of a plant

High Desert Food and Farm Alliance will rescue surplus or “imperfect” food from local farms, community gardens and farmers markets that would otherwise go to waste and redirect it to consumers who visit their regular farmers market booths and pop-ups.

2025
cost-2kmaterial-foodprogress-underway

Central Oregon Tool Library

Central Oregon Tool Library
central oregon tool library logo, which is a black tool

Central Oregon Tool Library will promote sustainability, affordability, and community resilience by providing shared access to tools and equipment.

2025
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-underway

Refill & Reuse: A Sustainability Reprise – Implementing Reusables at the Tower Theater

Tower Theatre Foundation

Tower Theatre Foundation will launch a reusable cup program, reducing single-use waste and promoting a circular economy.

2025
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Towards Zero Waste

SFF Presents

SFF Presents will expand their 2024 waste diversion efforts at two music festivals- Sisters Folk Festival and Big Ponderoo.

2025
cost-500-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-underway

Bunk, Brew, and Compost Too!

Bunk and Brew
bunk and brew logo, yellow arrows around the text of the name

Bunk and Brew will compost food waste produced in their hostel’s two communal kitchens and three food trucks parked in their lot.

2025
cost-2kmaterial-foodmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Reuse, Reduce, Encourage better practices at Cascades Academy

Cascades Academy
Cascades Academy logo with blue and green mountains and a sun

Cascades Academy reduce its waste output by reducing the use of single use dishware at events.

2025
cost-500-2kmaterial-foodmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Composting Food Waste at The Giving Plate

The Giving Plate
The giving plate logo with two green hands forming a heart

The Giving Plate will implement compost at two of their sites.

2025
cost-500-2kmaterial-foodprogress-underway

EcoCrafters Summer Camp

Two Suns Art Studio
Two Suns logo with two hands holding an orange and yellow sun

Two Suns Art Studio and Makerspace will educate children aged 7-12 on environmental stewardship through creative art projects that utilize recycled and landfill- bound materials.

2025
cost-500-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-underway

Old Mill District Water Bottle Refill Station Installation

Old Mill District
Old Mill District logo with a mill in the background

Old Mill District will install a water refill station for visitors to fill up their water bottles.

2025
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Single Use Bottle Elimination Project via Bulk Liquid Section at Locavore

Central Oregon Locavore
Photo of Locavore - inside a small local store

Central Oregon Locavore will expand their liquid bulk section and eliminate single-use plastics, by building a custom shelving system tailored to their needs.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Composting Center at Deschutes County Juvenile Detention Facility Peace Garden

COIC Skills Lab
Fenced garden with plant beds and a shade structure with solar panel with this text overlaid at the bottom: "Deschutes Peace Garden - Juvenille Detention Center"

The COIC Skills Lab will build a composting system at the Deschutes County Juvenile Department Peace Garden and process the food waste and use the compost in the garden on site. In addition, they will also create and deliver an eco-literacy curriculum, which will include composting education.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-foodprogress-underway

Reusable Bag Initiative for HDFFA Fresh Harvest Kits

High Desert Food and Farm Alliance
green reusable bag with produce that has High Desert Food & Farm Alliance displayed on it

HDFFA distributed Fresh Harvest Kits, their ready to eat meal kits, in reusable bags made from 100% recycled laminated PET material, avoiding 2,640 single-use bags.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-complete

SFF Presents – landfill waste reduction, improved recycling and initiating composting

SFF Presents
A person holding a Big Ponderoo silicone pint glass with the festival out of focus in the background

SFF Presents will implement supervised recycling and food waste stations at their festivals and events with the goal of composting about 2,300 pounds of food waste and doubling recycling rates.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-complete

Boundless Farmstead – Down with Plastic Bags

Boundless Farmstead
A large amount of bright green fresh loose-leaf arugula

Boundless Farmstead will eliminate bagged greens from their Farmers Market and Locavore sales through a variety of innovative initiatives.

2024
cost-500-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Farm to Warm Springs Project

Around the Bend Farms
Young farmer with hat next to seeding trays in a greenhouse

Around the Bend Farms will incorporate a cooling box to increase the longevity of the produce it delivers to recipients at Warm Springs Reservation through the VeggieRX grant administered by the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-foodprogress-complete

Increase your water intake!

High Desert ESD
A group of people outside on a grass lawn with some students following a teacher

High Desert ESD will provide Juntos Aprendemos summer program participants with reusable water bottles, reducing the plastic bottles waste purchased over 8 summer programs within Bend, Redmond, Madras and Sisters.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-complete

Rubbish Renewed Walk our Talk Zero Waste Event Program

Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show
A model on stage in the foreground with a crowd of people in the background of a window-paneled arena

Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show will expand the Walk our Talk Program, a self-contained, reusable system for 600. The lendable system is modeled in a one night event saving thousands of disposable service ware from the landfill, and helping change mindsets.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-complete

Reusable Lending Ecosystem

Bicycle Rides Northwest (BRNW)
A group of people eating at picnic tables with some booths in the background

Bicycle Rides Northwest (BRNW) will establish and own, manage, and store a large-scale reusable mealware inventory with 400+ plates, bowls, cups and utensils (and possibly a portable commercial-grade dishwasher) available to established partner organizations.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Recycling Initiative at Bethlehem Inn

Bethlehem Inn
Photo of the Bethlehem Inn Redmond building

Bethlehem Inn is implementing a robust recycling program at their Bend and Redmond locations to reduce waste and have a more environmentally friendly campus.

2024
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-underway

Reusables for Bend-La Pine Schools’ Events

Bend-La Pine Schools
Students and adults at an event in a school cafeteria

Bend-La Pine Schools will implement reusable dishware kits in each school to be used for all special events reducing single-use waste.

2023
cost-2kmaterial-plasticprogress-underway

Agricultural Packaging Repurposing Program

Central Oregon Locavore
A storage shed with a sign that reads: "Locavore Agricultural Packaging Recycle Program in collaboration with The Environmental Center"

Central Oregon Locavore will set up an outdoor storage shed to decrease the number of waxed produce boxes that are going to the landfill, while simultaneously saving local farmers and ranchers significant expenses.

2023
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-complete

Coming In Hot Composting at Worthy

Worthy Environmental
Sunflowers and other outdoor plants in a small outdoor garden

Worthy Environmental will use the Community Innovation Fund to purchase a composter and rain barrel to achieve a hot composting process and host two free composting workshops.

2023
cost-500-2kmaterial-foodprogress-complete

A More Sustainable Stay at Mt Bachelor Village

Mt Bachelor Village
A blue household recycling bin with a clear sign of what to and not to recycle

Mount Bachelor Village is expanding the reach of their tourism waste reduction pilot to improve the quality and quantity of recycled materials, specifically reducing plastic contamination.

2023
cost-500-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-complete

Cascades Academy Classroom Composting

Cascades Academy
Exterior of Cascades Academy building

Cascades Academy is implementing an easy to understand, functional composting system for current classes and classes to come.

2023
cost-500-2kmaterial-foodprogress-underway

Cafeteria Waste Reduction

Bear Creek Elementary, Amity Creek Elementary, and REALMS
Student filling a water bottle at a refill station

Bear Creek Elementary, Amity Creek Elementary, and REALMS will reduce waste generated in their cafeterias by testing out a variety of reusable alternatives to single use items.

2023
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-underway

Bringing recycling in the room

Campfire Hotel
Campfire Hotel room

Campfire Hotel will add recycling containers for plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass with clear signage, in an accessible way, in each of the 100 rooms and also the lobby and meeting space.

2023
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-underway

Save the Bikes!

Bicycle Re-Source of Bend
Person fixing a seat on a bicycle with a banner behind that reads Bicycle Re-Source of Bend

Bicycle Re-Source of Bend will divert bicycles from landfill to community members by repairing donated bicycles and coordinating with local organizations and advocates to distribute the bicycles and accessories.

2023
cost-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-complete

Blue Bins for Blue Bags at Tetherow

Tetherow Resort
Blue redeemable BottleDrop bag hanging between two blue recycling bins

Tetherow Resort will install 8 more recycling bins across the property to recycle redeemable bottles and cans, and donate proceeds to local nonprofit organizations.

2023
cost-500-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-complete

Improved recycling and composting practices at SCP

SCP Redmond Hotel
Pretty SCP Redmond hotel lounge with sofas and fireplace

SCP Redmond Hotel will add bins and composters with effective signage to increase recycling and composting rates.

2023
cost-500-2kmaterial-mixedprogress-complete
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