Art & Office Supplies ReCo Pick Guide
ReCo Pick Member Guide

Art & Office Supplies

Use this guide to prepare reusable art, office, and school supplies for a designated ReCo Pick collection.

Reusable art, school, and office supplies

Give useful supplies another life

Art, office, and school supplies can often be reused long before they need to be discarded. The ReCollective collects usable supplies and works with local partners to help place them with teachers, artists, children, and adults throughout the Triangle.

Please include only items that are in working condition and ready for someone else to use.

What to include

Accepted Art & Office Supplies

Supplies may be new or gently used, but they should still work and have useful life remaining.

Accepted

  • Office supplies: staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, scissors, desk organizers, file folders, binders, label makers, and calculators
  • School supplies: notebooks, pencil cases, folders, rulers, protractors, glue sticks, erasers, index cards, and planners
  • Paper products: printer paper, construction paper, cardstock, legal pads, graph paper, envelopes, poster board, and scrapbooking paper
  • Writing and drawing tools: pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters, chalk, paintbrushes, and watercolor pencils
  • Art and craft supplies: paints, palettes, sketchbooks, drawing pads, beads, string, yarn, fabric, sewing kits, origami paper, stencils, and stamps
  • Creative tools: craft scissors, decorative punches, glue guns, art portfolios, printmaking tools, and embroidery supplies

Please Leave Out

  • Broken tools or supplies that no longer work
  • Dried-out pens, markers, glue, paint, or other unusable materials
  • Empty containers with no usable product remaining
  • Wet, moldy, heavily soiled, or damaged supplies
  • Loose trash or unrelated household items
Where it goes

Place Supplies in Your ReCo Pick Bag

Put accepted art, office, and school supplies inside the canvas ReCo Pick bag. Do not place them loose in the black collection bag.

Good condition matters: this collection is designed to prioritize reuse. Please send supplies that you would feel comfortable passing along to a teacher, artist, student, or neighbor.
Before your pickup

How to Prepare Your Supplies

Check the Condition

Make sure tools work, writing supplies are not dried out, and paper products are still usable.

Keep Small Items Together

Group beads, clips, pencils, and other loose pieces in a small closed bag or container. Secure lids on paints and glue.

Use the ReCo Pick Bag

Place the prepared supplies inside your canvas ReCo Pick bag and return the bag with your regular ReCo pickup.

Materials being sorted at The ReCollective warehouse in Durham
After collection

What Happens to the Supplies?

Supplies return to The ReCollective’s Durham warehouse, where the team reviews their condition and sorts them into useful categories.

1

Inspect: Unusable or damaged items are separated from supplies that are ready for reuse.

2

Sort: Supplies are grouped into art, school, office, paper, writing, and craft categories.

3

Redistribute: Usable items are shared with community partners, teachers, and artists who can put them back to work.

Community partner: The ReCollective works with The Scrap Exchange and other local recipients to support creative reuse.

ReCo Pick Reminders

Standard monthly members Set out Art & Office Supplies only during the month this ReCo Pick is featured.
Almost Anything Plan members You may place approved ReCo Pick materials in your ReCo Pick bag during any monthly pickup.
Use the ReCo Pick bag Place accepted Art & Office Supplies inside the canvas ReCo Pick bag, not loose in the black collection bag.
Return all canvas bags Return all of your canvas bags each time you set out recycling so the team can provide a complete replacement kit.
Related information

Other Reuse & Recycling Guides

Books recycling and reuse guide Reuse guide Books View guide Toy recycling and reuse guide Reuse guide Toys View guide Used kitchenware recycling and reuse guide Reuse guide Used Kitchenware View guide CD and DVD recycling and reuse guide Reuse guide CDs & DVDs View guide
Service information

Local Pickup & Mailback

City page Durham View local information City page Raleigh View local information City page Cary View local information City page Chapel Hill & Carrboro View local information Mailback Almost Anything Bag View mailback information