Any clothing or towels too ragged to donate to a thrift store still have value. Cut material into squares of different sizes to use as cleanup rags. Many garages, cabinet shops and backyard mechanics will gratefully accept excess rags. Sewing groups would gladly accept buttons and zippers gleaned from clothing. Children’s programs and daycare centers also use buttons for crafts.

Small household appliances that are no longer working can be salvaged for parts. If you are not familiar with this type of operation don’t attempt it - you can always donate them to handymen types that you may know, or appliance repair classes in your community. Handles from pots and pans can come in handy for fashioning custom tools, or they can be used to make a storage box easy to carry. Old utensils can be bent and made into various picks and scrapers.

The workshop can become a veritable stew pot of reuse ideas. As it is not a place commonly viewed by guests or neighbors it will not matter so much if look is compromised by reused items. Of course, most important thing is fact that you are reducing your landfill contribution by taking matter into your own hands and making a difference!

We often use sheets of adhesive labels in our office printer. The edges, top and bottom of each used sheet have 1/4" of remaining unused material. These can be trimmed to convenient lengths and stored in a small jar (or other storage container of choice). These labels come in handy when labeling items destined for freezer, jam jars, bulk foods or shop and craft supplies.

Keep computer equipment such as external drives, printers and scanners powered off when they are not in use – turn them on only for duration that they are needed. Stand-by power (lights or clock displays) can be eliminated by either using a power bar or by manually unplugging equipment. Sleep computer during day when not in use (lunch, coffee, or meetings) and turn all equipment off before leaving at end of day. These are some simple suggestions, yet they will save time, money, and resources, which is in best interest of any office.