About Creative Reuse

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Basically, in its truest sense, creative reuse is upcycling or repurposing, adding creativity to an already manufactured item that brings a new function to that item and keeps it out of the landfill. An aluminum water bottle is painted and turned into a vase; old wooden Bingo game markers become earrings; book pages become part of a beautiful collage. A creative reuse center usually offers a variety of these types of used "items with creative potential" but also takes in donated, used or unwanted "traditional" creative materials (such as arts & crafts, hobby, office and school supplies), making them accessible to others for free or at a very low cost. Workshops are usually a part of a creative reuse business, too, as staff and guest artists teach the community how to easily craft and upcycle the materials.

Creative reuse benefits the community in many ways, including the environment, education, the arts, and pretty much our collective imaginations as a whole. 

Untrash Creative Reuse is proud to join around 100 creative reuse businesses and nonprofits nationwide (and about a dozen in other countries) that work hard to collect, sort and distribute creative materials, spread creative ideas and continue to keep stuff out of the landfill-- to the tune of tons each year. While they vary in the types of materials they accept, and range in size from small, online-only operations to large, brick-and-mortar facilities with large staffs, creative reuse "centers" all share the same love of reuse and desire to help the environment and the community.