Repurpose

To repurpose is to use an existing item for a different function than what it was originally intended for.

3 metal colanders on a white table with colorful toolboxes nearby.

Why Repurpose?

Think about the times you’ve used an empty pasta sauce jar as a storage container for dry goods or turned old cotton T-shirts into cleaning rags. For textile artists, repurposing could mean using leftover scrap fabric to make something new. There are already so many things in the world, and buying new means creating more things that could eventually enter the waste stream. Even if an item is done fulfilling its intended purpose, think about what else it could become before tossing it.

Learn more about repurposing and how you can repurpose more than just everyday items

Repurpose Resources

  • Illustration of a city skyline with buildings and church steeple, with a sunset or sunrise behind it, along with the text 'Build Reuse' in bold, distressed font over a wooden sign.

    Build Reuse

    Build Reuse serves as the premier national organization encouraging the recovery, reuse, and recycling of building materials in the United States.

    BUILD REUSE
  • Green background with white text that reads 'ALL FOR REUSE' with a recycling symbol in place of the letter 'O' in 'FOR'.

    All For Reuse

    All For Reuse is an initiative to develop a network of building professionals committed to the reuse of commercial building materials.

    ALL FOR REUSE
  • Hands holding a blue sphere

    All for Reuse

    The Reusable Resource Association maintains a directory of Creative Reuse Centers around the country.

    ALL FOR REUSE

Advocate for Repurpose

Repair.org logo with a hexagon and red arrow design above the text 'repair.org'.

The best thing you can do is shop for reclaimed building materials, but supporting deconstruction initiatives and code changes also helps. Find out more at Build Reuse.

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Know another repurpose resource? Let us know.

Help us expand our network to reach more communities. If you know of more organizations, let us know so we can share them.