University Surplus Reuse and Donation Programs

For many reasons, materials like office furniture, residential furniture, lab equipment, and office supplies are no longer needed by their original owner.

Departments and Schools across Washington University manage their own purchasing, which includes furniture, equipment and supplies. The decentralized nature of the university makes it difficult to know who to go to if you are looking for these materials or how to quickly get them into the hands of someone else who can use them.

The tools on this page were developed to streamline the sale, recirculation, or donation of usable items. When disposing of/re-homing an item, strive to find the highest and best use, starting with internal reuse at the university, selling outside of the university, donation to a charity, and finally scrapping/recycling. The flowchart below illustrates the recommended approach.

Exchange Platform for University Property

In an effort better utilize surplus property, the Office of Sustainability and the Department of Resource Management are working together to offer WashUReuse, a software platform that facilitates the internal recirculation of unwanted materials.

The WashUReuse tool is accessible by staff, faculty and students across departments and campuses and supports peer-to-peer sharing, enabling users to quickly find an item they need, and promotes re-homing unwanted items efficiently through the university.

The main goal for this program is to keep materials out of landfills and reduce the need for departments to buy new items when excellent options are already available. The result is better utilization of both financial resources and natural resources – a true win-win.

Ready to Start Trading?

1. Start with viewing the demonstration video to learn how it works.
2. Set up a user account at washu.rheaply.com. Use your WashU email to utilize single-sign on and connect within the WashU environment (this service is only available to those with a WashU email address).
3. Start browsing or creating your own surplus property listings.
4. Buy, sell and trade surplus goods. See FAQs for more details.
5. Document any external sales or donations by filling out the Bill of Sale. Send to Resource Management to file.
6. If items cannot be utilized within WashU, try these non-profits and businesses that may be able to repurpose or recycle the items.

Contact Lisa Owens, Project Administrator at Resource Management, owenslisa@wustl.edu, with any questions.

Additional Reuse & Donation Programs