Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM ET (11:00 AM CT)
Location: Zoom Webinar Topic: From Recycling to Reuse: Strengthening Markets in Michigan and Beyond
Guest Speaker: Rex LaMore, Director Emeritus, MSU CCED, Abby Carrigan, Circular Economy Research Assistant, MSU CCED, Henry Jerred, Circular Economy Research Assistant, MSU CCED
Moderator: Ally Walker, Programs Officer, Council of the Great Lakes Region
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Join us for an overview of the newly released Toolkit for Identifying Reuse Markets for Recycled Material in Michigan, developed by the Circular Economy Research Team at Michigan State University’s Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED). This webinar will explore how the toolkit helps communities, recycling organizations, and industry stakeholders strengthen connections to regional reuse markets that transform recycled, reused, and recovered materials into new products. Participants will learn about ways to identify your existing reuse economy, the challenges of gathering standardized material data, incentives to expand material salvage and reuse economic markets, building stronger regional market connections that are critical to support a reuse economy, and strategies to build public confidence in the ReUse sector. The presentation will conclude with a live question-and-answer session, providing attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the authors, discuss implementation strategies, and explore how the toolkit can support reuse market development in their own communities.
SPEAKER(s):
Rex LaMore | Director Emeritus, MSU CCED
Rex LaMore is the Director Emeritus of Michigan State University’s Center for Community Economic Development, and an affiliated member of the faculty in the Urban and Regional Planning Program. Dr. LaMore has 50 years of experience in Community and Economic Development where he has focused his career on the challenges of revitalizing distressed communities and promoting equitable and sustainable development.
Abby Carrigan | Circular Economy Research Assistant, MSU CCED
Abby Carrigan is a Research Assistant at the MSU Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED), where she serves on the Circular Economy Research Team to advance Michigan’s transition toward a regenerative, low-waste economy. Her research focuses on building statewide collaboration and informing policies that reduce waste and create local economic opportunity. Her most recent work at the CCED involves reuse-market coordination to identify and strengthen local supply chains, ensuring high-quality materials are diverted from landfills and repurposed into productive economic feedstock.
Henry Jerred | Circular Economy Research Assistant, MSU CCED
Henry Jerred graduated from Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a degree in Social Relations and Policy, along with minors in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Anthropology. Since joining the MSU Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) as a research assistant in October of 2024, he has supported efforts to advance Michigan’s circular economy through research and network building, including conducting surveys, organizing educational events, and facilitating collaboration across the CCED’s Circular Economy Network.
MODERATOR:
Ally Walker | Program Officer | Circular Economy | Council of the Great Lakes Region
As Program Officer for Circular Economy, Ally Walker leads several flagship initiatives under CGLR’s Circular Great Lakes platform, including the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, Boat Wrap Recycling Program, Dart Stormwater Grant, Return to Retail Takeback Program, and legislative outreach efforts. Since joining CGLR in 2022, Ally has combined her background in sustainability policy, recycling systems, and stakeholder engagement to advance cross-sector solutions that support a more circular regional economy.
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