Creative Reuse Supplies

🧵 Craft & Textile Items

• Fabric scraps
• Yarn ends or tangled skeins
• Buttons, zippers, lace, ribbon
• Old clothing or linens
• Sample swatches (upholstery, wallpaper)

📦 Packaging & Industrial Waste

• Cardboard tubes (from paper towels, etc.)
• Bubble wrap or foam sheets
• Bottle caps, jars, and containers
• Shipping pallets or crates
• Plastic netting from produce

✂️ Office & School Supplies

• Paper offcuts
• Old file folders or envelopes
• Broken crayons
• Outdated calendars or posters
• Obsolete tech (floppy disks, keyboards)

🧩 Household Items

• Mismatched Tupperware
• Broken jewelry
• CDs/DVDs
• Lightbulbs (especially decorative or Edison-style)
• Kitchen utensils

🔩 Construction/Hardware Leftovers

• Wood scraps
• Tiles or tile samples
• Screws, bolts, washers
• Paint chips
• Window blinds or shutters

🎨 Art & Teaching Surplus

• Dried markers or paint tubes (for texture!)
• Leftover paint
• Canvas scraps
• Demo materials from workshops

Once you have found what you are looking for, here are some ideas of what to do:

Sourcing items for Creative Reuse

Salvage, recycling, re purposing, and re use are nothing new, we have been trading in second hand goods for centuries.

However, the way in which we source materials is changing.

These days, the cost/benefit of operating a bricks and mortar outlet to promote re use are arguably restrictive. High rents, taxes, rates, and utilities serve to diminish revenues for business and make the thrifty nature of such operations uneconomical.

As a result, sellers remain active but are turning instead to online platforms like The Reclaimed Company ® to sell their wares.

Our motto, “Everything deserves a second chance” is a firm belief.

Our platform has been constructed to connect buyers and sellers of second hand goods locally around the world.

In exchange, and to cover our costs, we take a small commission at point of sale.

However, we offer an opportunity to promote creative reuse, however it is imagined, at marginal cost to both business and the end user.

Sourcing Second Hand for Creative Reuse Supplies

1. Creative Reuse Supplies Centers

These are nonprofit treasure troves that collect donated materials for art, craft, and education. Examples 🇺🇸:

• SCRAP (Portland, San Francisco, Richmond, Baltimore)
• Reuse Seattle
• The Waste Shed (Chicago)
• Austin Creative Reuse
• ArtStart Reuse Center (NY)

2. Thrift Stores & Estate Sales

You’ll find fabric, frames, tools, and oddities perfect for art.

3. Local Businesses & Manufacturers

• Ask print shops for misprints or paper scraps
• Upholstery stores often toss fabric swatches
• Construction sites may give away scrap wood
• Breweries sometimes give away bottle caps or pallets

4. Online Communities

• The Reclaimed Company ®
• EBay
• Gumtree
• Freecycle