Surplus Stationery Event Gives Thousands of Items a New Home

More than 350 colleagues, students, charities, schools and tenants attended The Open University's first Surplus Stationery Event at Walton Hall on 15 September. The event helped rehome large quantities of unused stationery and office supplies that had built up across campus over many years.

The event proved hugely popular, with visitors snapping up thousands of items, from blank DVDs and staplers to paper clips and even an industrial hole punch. By the end of the day, only four cages of items remained.

As well as clearing valuable storage space, the initiative helped extend the life of items that may otherwise have gone to waste, supporting the University's commitment to reducing waste and encouraging reuse.

The event was led by Michael Eagle-Weston from the Space Planning Team and Jodi Houghton from the Carbon and Go Green Teams, with support from colleagues across Estates and the wider University. Their efforts helped create a lively community event that showcased the University's commitment to sustainability and the circular economy.

The success of the day highlights the value of giving unwanted items a second life and serves as a timely reminder to order only what is needed in today's increasingly digital workplace. By prioritising reuse, the University continues to reduce waste, make better use of resources and support local communities.

What can you do?

Estates has a list of charity and school contacts to help ensure the University reuses items wherever possible. If you have contacts that could benefit, please email [email protected] to be added to the mailing list.

If you have surplus stationery in your office that you would like to rehome, we encourage you to hold your own mini stationery event. The Go Green and Space Planning teams would be happy to help with advice and promotion.

The event also served as a timely reminder that, in an increasingly digital workplace, we should only order what we truly need. Before placing an order, check whether items are already available and think carefully about future demand. Small changes in purchasing habits can make a big difference in reducing waste, saving money and making better use of the resources we already have.