The Scrap Exchange
Promoting creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse since 1991.

Who are we?
The Scrap Exchange is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse.

We collect materials from hundreds of individuals, businesses, industries, and municipal sources and distribute those materials through our retail store in Durham, North Carolina as well as through workshops, parties, and outreach events across the Southeast.

The Scrap Exchange creates a win-win-win situation for everyone involved — our donors are eligible for a tax deduction for the fair market value of the items they donate; community members have access to hard-to-find, affordable materials; and usable materials are kept from entering the waste stream.

Where do we get our materials?
We collect materials from over 250 industries within a 100-mile radius of The Scrap Exchange. Materials include foam, paper, fabric, zippers, buttons, test tubes, and much more. We also take in contributions from individuals. We welcome craft materials, art supplies, vintage goodies, and other unique items. We take in more than 500 drop-off donations each year. Wondering what we do and don’t take? Here’s a printable/downloadable flyer for reference.

What do we do with the materials we collect?
Materials are sold in our retail store and are also featured in a variety of creative arts programs and workshops. Our Events By the Truckload program travels to large-scale community festivals and events where we provide hands-on, creative arts activities. We also travel to schools for classroom workshops and after-school activities, and we host workshops and parties at our Creative Reuse Center. We teach professional development workshops for educators and childcare providers that explain how to incorporate reclaimed materials into their curriculum and we share information on where they can find “materials in their neighborhood.” (We even have a flyer that gives some ideas for finding Materials in Your Neighborhood.)

What is included in our Creative Reuse Center?
Since January 2000, we have occupied 13,000 square feet of space in Liberty Warehouse, a former tobacco warehouse in the Central Park district of downtown Durham. That includes:

• 8,000 square feet of retail store space
• 5,000 square feet of warehouse storage space
• workshop and party room
• art gallery
• office space

Here is a map that shows our location and directions to our store.

Where does The Scrap Exchange get its funding?
As an organization, The Scrap Exchange is largely self-sustaining, with nearly 90% of our $200,000 budget coming from income generated through store sales and fee-for-service programming. The money we make through retail sales and outreach programs pays for day-to-day operations (salaries, rent, utilities, vehicles, etc.) and allows us to work toward fulfilling our mission.

The remaining 10% of our budget comes from grants and individual donations.

In 2006, we received a Non-City Agency grant from the City of Durham to fund a part-time volunteer coordinator and to help support our outreach programs. That grant was renewed for the 2007-08 fiscal year. We are grateful to the City of Durham for its continued support.

In 2007-08, we received a $2500 grant from the Durham Arts Council. We thank them for their contribution.

Funding from grants and donations allows us to expand our program offerings and to provide services we would otherwise be unable to offer due to lack of resources.

How did The Scrap Exchange get started?
In 1991, a woman named Chris Rosenthal and a group of supporters including nationally known environmental artist Bryant Holsenbeck and educator Joe Appleton started The Scrap Exchange. Chris was a teacher who wanted great materials for use in her classroom. She had previously worked for an organization in Australia called “The Reverse Garbage Truck” and patterned The Scrap Exchange on that program. Learn more...

The Scrap Exchange is guided by a fifteen-seat Board of Directors. Learn more...