This chapter explores the complexities of circular economy (CE) practices through the lens of reclaimed wood in Detroit. While CE is often idealized as universally beneficial and sustainable, this chapter critically examines how CE principles manifest in the specific socio-economic and historical context of Detroit. The chapter follows Joe, a Detroit resident whose reclaimed wood table symbolizes the interplay between personal and urban histories, sustainability ideals, and economic privilege. Detroit’s reclamation industry, exemplified by businesses like SecondLifeWoods, illustrates the appeal of using reclaimed materials but also reveals moral ambiguities. Reclaimed wood in Detroit is often sourced from homes lost to tax foreclosure, a process disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. As affluent, often white, newcomers transform this reclaimed wood into high-end furniture, they come to perpetuate gentrification. The chapter challenges the notion that CE can seamlessly integrate into urban life, arguing that it must account for the power dynamics and inequalities underpinning its resource flows. By situating CE within the realities of Detroit’s social landscape, the chapter underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of how CE can inadvertently reproduce the inequalities it aims to mitigate.