At creative reuse centers, old art supplies get a new life at a fraction of the cost

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year's winter scarf.

Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6.

“Nowadays, art is popping off, so things are more expensive ,” Catalano said. “It has the perfect amount of what I need.”

The Brooklyn store is one of hundreds of creative reuse centers across the U.S. and beyond which aim to keep art supplies out of landfills. They typically sell donated arts and crafts materials at steep discounts — like thrift stores for crafting.

Art supplies typically come in bulk — like a pack of markers or a ream of construction paper — and outlast the kids' project or at-home craft they're intended for. When thrown away, they degrade in landfills, and certain items can release harmful chemicals and microplastics into the environment.

Reusing art supplies is one small step to avoid that, with some centers saving thousands of pounds of materials from reaching landfills each month.

“Reducing waste is the first benefit. But also, you can be more creative when you're in a large warehouse and looking at things that you could not source yourself,” said Julian Silverman, a materials scientist at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology .

Art is an expensive hobby, so shopping secondhand can keep costs down. At reuse centers, crafters can collect a few ribbons and fabric scraps instead of entire spools or bolts. Brooklyn Creative Reuse prices most supplies at $3 a pound. Some centers also price items individually.

Art supplies also require water and energy to make, pack and ship, so reusing them helps reduce the resources needed for new ones. For example, it takes about 13 gallons (49 liters) of water to make one gallon of paint, Silverman said.

The supplies also tend to have a lot of packaging for their size, Silverman said, such as a marker sold in a plastic package with cardboard backing. More packaging also is needed to encase light-sensitive products like paint.

At Scraplanta Creative Reuse, a network of two reuse centers and a pop-up shop in Atlanta, organizers collect nearly 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) of supplies every month and sell them to teachers, parents, teenagers in sewing circles and college professors.

“We see the value in that half bottle of paint or glue because if it’s still usable, there’s someone who just needs that for their project,” said Jonelle Dawkins, executive director of Scraplanta.

In landfills, synthetic bristles on paintbrushes can take hundreds of years to degrade, while their plastic handles take up to a thousand years, Silverman said. When paints break down, they can release microplastics and heavy metals like cadmium and cobalt.

“Basically, our paint is plastic,” said Zoie Diana, an environmental scientist at Barnard College.

Diana said artists should focus on environmental factors that are within their control, but also not feel guilty about their pursuits. She noted that paint used for art is a smaller source of pollution than what flakes off roads, buildings and boats.

The principles of sustainable art include buying only what you need and donating what you don't instead of throwing it away.

How you clean your paintbrushes can also make a difference. Wipe used brushes with a rag and peel off old paint instead of washing it down the drain. This step prevents microplastics in the paint from being pumped to wastewater treatment facilities, Diana said, where they can sneak through into lakes and rivers.

Artists can also look into drop-off programs that recycle paints.

Creative crafters can further repurpose household materials for art projects. Silverman, the materials scientist, boils down onion skins and beets into colorful inks that he uses for tie-dye projects. He also recommends upcycling old makeup into paints and inks.

“You don't need to spend any money to get walnut shells, for example, and play with those,” said Silverman.

Picking up paint supplies at Brooklyn Creative Reuse inspired artist and teacher Rosina Morelli to fish through her own drawers and cabinets.

“What I’m most happy for is my chance to donate stuff, not buy stuff,” Morelli said, “so that I can give it to other people that are going to be excited and use it, instead of me just throwing it out.”

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