All About Creative Reuse

What does the term “Creative Reuse” mean?

Creative reuse refers to creatively upcycling or repurposing an item for a use other than its originally intended purpose. 

Some examples include reusing a plastic store bought berry container as a seed starter pot or repurposing old plastic bottle caps into colorful artwork. 

Why is Creative Reuse Important?

Creative Reuse is important because it helps keep materials out of the landfill while also increasing our creativity and problem solving skills. 

It’s important to support children's curiosity to help their brains grow, and a great way to do this is through creative reuse. 

Young people loved to participate at the Imagination Station at the Tilth Farmers’ Market, which was in effect until September 6th, 2026. The Imagination Station is now active at the rePurpose Reuse Center at The People’s House, open Wednesdays from 12-4pm.

How can you implement Creative Reuse in your daily life? 

You can implement creative reuse into your daily life by keeping reusable items out of the landfill and repurposing them in creative ways in your home. 

If you have children, repurposed materials are great ways to pique their creativity through arts and crafts. 

You can also support creative reuse efforts in your community by joining rePurpose and donating your unique items to us. 

Creative Reuse at rePurpose

If you’ve been with rePurpose for a while, then you may know that creative reuse is at the core of the work we do. Creatively reusing and repurposing materials redirects them from the Roosevelt Landfill located more than 400 miles away and keeps them relevant in our daily lives. 

Since we started our drop off program, rePurpose has collected reusable materials for art projects. Our collection has gone from a pile in the South Whidbey Commons Cafe to our inviting and organized Reuse Center in The People’s House today. 

But who would be most interested in reusing items for creative purposes? Young people! 

We found that those who are dropping off materials don’t have a need or want for these items we’ve collected. 

To help us get connected with the right audience, we hired Solveig last year to be our Reuse Center Coordinator. She has a background in education, so she can see the creative potential of the materials. 

Solveig shared that children are so creative and open to learning. She thought the younger community on Whidbey would be a great audience for the Reuse Center as they are more open to creatively reusing items. 

The Imagination Station was popular with kids of many different ages.

Creative Reuse and Holidays! 

We are working to bring awareness to creative reuse and its benefits. 

With the upcoming holidays, it’s a great time to connect with us since we have arts and crafts materials, packaging materials, cards, small boxes, decorations, etc., which would be great to reuse for Halloween costumes, packaging gifts, decorating your house, and much more! 

Our Reuse Center: 

If you know of a family or organization that needs materials, please come see us on Wednesdays from 12-4 at The People’s House 724 Camano Ave, Langley, WA 98260. 

Reach out to solveig@repurposewhidbey.org if you have any questions or are in need of scheduling accommodation. 

Let’s work together to keep valuable items from being sent to the Roosevelt Landfill located over 400 miles away! 

The Future of Creative Reuse at rePurpose:  

rePurpose is working to create a Library of Things (LOTS) at the South Whidbey Community Center! 

This is a community program that seeks to establish a central location where household items and goods can be rented out to community members. This eliminates the need for individual households to buy an item that they’ll use sparingly, and instead creates a space where a handful of items can be rented out to an entire community as needed. 

We are looking for volunteers to help develop this program. We are also looking for donations of items such as tools, toys, event items, etc. that could be rented out at the Library of Things. 

Our goal is to open starting in the fall/winter time, and we will restart our repair cafes around that same time.

Please reach out to jacquie@repurposewhidbey.org if you are interested in volunteering or donating to our program!

Interested in being a part of rePurpose’s zero waste efforts? 

Become a rePurpose member or join us as a Volunteer Member today to contribute to positive change in our community!