Reselling school supplies destined for the dump helps cut costs

Austin-based nonprofit resells used creative goods
It's helping teachers and parents buy school supplies at a low cost
But demand for these goods can be overwhelming

Updated: Aug 23, 2023 / 04:41 PM CDT

The Austin Creative Reuse location in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of Austin Creative Reuse.

(NewsNation) — A Texas nonprofit called Austin Creative Reuse is helping families and teachers afford school supplies this year by collecting supplies that would’ve otherwise been thrown out, reselling them at bargain basement prices.

Since 2009, the organization has operated what’s called a reuse center where it takes in gently used items from businesses and individuals and then resells them at low prices, focusing on creative items, according to its executive director, Jennifer Evans.

“It’s the kind of things you would see in your big box arts and crafts stores and your fine arts stores, those types of things,” she said.

The goal of a reuse center is to help redirect items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The organization estimates that it has helped divert two million pounds of materials away from landfills since its founding.

Supplies sold at Austin Creative Reuse. Photo courtesy of Austin Creative Reuse.

As the school year starts again, the organization is also playing a role in making sure teachers and families have access to cheap school supplies.

Evans noted school supplies are often thrown out at the end of the school year only for schools to reopen in a few months. The organization aims to get people to donate those supplies so they can later be resold for minimal cost.

At the organization’s 11,000-square-foot building, families can stop by and pick up affordable supplies for a fraction of what you’d pay at your local big box store.

For example, you can purchase a pack of eight markers for 50 cents or a solar-powered calculator for $5.

It also had a special back-to-school event that allowed families to come in and fill a bag from H-E-B — a popular local grocery chain — with materials on their school supply list for just $5 (or they could also fill a backpack for $10). Evans estimated buying the same amount of materials elsewhere would cost as much as $100.

The organization has taken its supplies sales on the road as well. It received a $66,000 grant earlier this year to set up a mobile facility called the Materials Mobile that will deliver school supplies directly to schools.

The pilot of the Materials Mobile in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of Austin Creative Reuse.

Earlier this month, it started a pilot program where it took a rented van out to four different schools and provided materials to 73 teachers.

“The teachers can come out from their classrooms on their lunch break or after school or during one of their professional development days and come down and shop for whatever materials they can use for their classroom,” Evans said. “Everything is on a pay-what-you-can basis.”

She estimated that the amount of materials they gave away from the mobile program would have a value of more than $7,000 if they were purchased brand new. Eventually, they plan to transition from the rental van to an automobile they’ve bought to run the program.

Running the operation isn’t without its challenges, however.

Evans pointed to overwhelming demand, both from people donating items and from those waiting to receive them.

“We can get pretty easily overwhelmed if we’re not managing that process really well,” she said.

And they have a lengthy wait list of schools that have requested the Materials Mobile.

The organization also gets about half of its labor hours from volunteers; the funding to keep the center going comes from a combination of grants, individual donors and sales.

But they’re optimistic that they can have a big impact on the local educational community with the new mobile program.

“Our goal is to reach 850 teachers by the end of the school year,” Evans said.