Material Donations
Materials donations keep our center running and our community creating
When you donate your preloved creative supplies to ACR, we’ll make those materials accessible at low cost to local schools, educators and nonprofits, and the general creative community. Your leftover or unneeded materials get a second life, and you get that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with supporting your favorite local nonprofit!
Materials donations are also tax deductible (consult your tax advisor for details), and tax receipts can be provided upon request.
How to Donate
Have just an armful? Drop your donations off at our donation desk inside the center any time we’re open - no appointment needed!
Have a trunk load? We ask that you make a donation appointment. Don’t see any open appointments? Check back soon as appointments are added on a rolling basis about two weeks out. Note: if you have a carload or multiple carloads, a moving van/truck, trailer load, or equivalent, please email us so we can schedule your donation outside of our regular donation hours.
Are you a business or organization with materials to donate? Use this link!
Host a Material Donation Drive.
Donation Best Practices
🌟 Want to be a Superstar Donor? Here are a few tips for when you’re gathering your items. A little pre-organization goes a long way and we’ll love you even more for it!
Check to see if we accept what you have to give. There’s a ton of info below on the items we do and don’t accept. We will turn away your donation if you bring us items we cannot accept, and we hate having to do that.
Organize your donations prior to bringing them in.
Secure items that can tangle easily
Bag small, loose items
Bundle like items or items in a set/with multiple parts together
Bring your stuff in a box or bag you will leave with us.
Our “Life Cycle of a Donation” video series gives you a behind the scenes look at what happens to all of the materials that get donated to ACR.
ACR reserves the right to reject any donations.
Items We Love to Receive
(the crème de la crème!)
Art Supplies
Canvases
Paints of all Kinds
Print Making Supplies
Pastels, Charcoals, and Drawing Pencils
Easels
Stained Glass and Mosaic Materials
Large & Ornate Frames
Fabric and Notions
Quilting Cotton
Yardage
Leather
Sewing Machines
Quilting Rulers and Templates
Thread of All Kinds
Batting
Mannequins & Sewing Forms
Fiber Arts
Yarn and Wool Roving
Embroidery Floss and Hoops
Needlework Kits
Your Grandma’s Linens
Punch Needle Supplies
Scrapbook and Paper Craft
Quilling Supplies
Postcards
Specialty Papers
Paper Trimmers
Cricut Machines
Craft and Education
Small Toys (<4” - plastic, wood, or metal)
Puzzles and Games
Glue Guns
All Types of Glue
Beads and Jewelry Making Supplies
Organizing Containers
Vintage and Collectibles
Photos and Slides
Magazines (pre-1970s)
Maps
Unique Vintage and Antique Items
Kitsch
Miscellaneous
Drawer and Cabinet Pulls
Hand Tools and Power Tools
Don’t see the specific item that you would like to donate? We take lots more than what’s listed above! See our Itemized List of What We Accept
Still have questions about a specific item? Contact us!
What We Cannot Accept
In general, Austin Creative Reuse will not accept anything that has been exposed to any amount of mold, mildew, pests, hazardous chemicals, poisons, and possible allergens such as peanuts or peanut products. We will also not accept items that have been out in the rain or other elements, items that have a strong odor, or items that have been recalled by their manufacturer.
All donated items should be clean and in good reusable condition and should not pose a danger to our staff and volunteers. If you wouldn’t want to process it, our staff and volunteers don’t either!
When we receive items that we cannot sell or reuse, it costs ACR valuable time and money to dispose of them properly. We’d much rather have our staff and volunteers spend that energy talking to you about your ideas and projects!
Here are some commonly asked about items that we CANNOT accept.
🚫 PLEASE, for the love of reuse, don’t bring us these items! 🚫
Hangers
Hanging file folders
Lamps (except vintage), cloth lamp shades, or lighting fixtures (except vintage)
Liquids without their original labels
Lumber or scrap wood
Mattresses, bedding and towels
Pianos
Phones (except vintage)
Plush toys (except Beanie Babies & other collectibles)
POS systems
Potpourri
Prescription or other medication bottles
Shoes and cardboard shoe boxes
Single use plastic bags
Styrofoam (except craft or floral)
Take-out containers, utensils & straws
Toxic substances (or anything that contained toxic substances)
Weapons
Window blinds
Air bags (for packing)
Alcohol bottles
Appliances and large furniture
Art projects that require disassembly
Binders
Candles in glass or ceramic containers
Carpet
Ceiling fans
Clothing and parts of clothing (includes socks & denim cutoffs)
Cloth masks
Computers, monitors, printers or other large electronics
Curtains, valances and curtain rods
Coffee cups, dishes, pots and pans, utensils (except vintage)
Dried out paint
DVDs and VHS tapes and cases
Empty spray paint cans
Encyclopedias (unless vintage and illustration-driven)
Fabric scraps
Flooring (any kind)
Food jars (except mason jars & Oui yogurt jars with labels removed)
General household recycling (plastic food containers, aluminum cans, booze bottles, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, etc.)
Other Donation Resources
Just because we can’t take your items, it doesn’t mean they can’t find a great home elsewhere! Here are some great additional resources for donating your pre-loved items in Austin:City of Austin’s What do I do with…
Donation FAQs
Q: When can I donate?
A: You're welcome to bring an armload of donations any time the center is open. If you have more than that, please make an appointment. We do not accept donations when our center is closed to the public, including before 11 am (12 pm on Sundays) and all day on Mondays.
Q: I didn't know you were closed. Can you take my donation since I'm already here?
A: Mondays and mornings before 11 am (12 pm on Sundays) are our team's only times to catch up on processing material donations and tackle big projects around the center. Because of this, we're unable to take in new materials when we are closed to the public.
Q: Can I just leave my donation outside?
A: No. We kindly ask that potential donors respect our space and do not leave donated items outside of the center. Items left outside are subject to theft, rain, extreme heat, and other elements - oftentimes leaving them unusable and requiring us to dispose of them. If you're truly hoping to keep these materials out of the landfill, please bring them at the appropriate time.
Q: I know the item I want to donate is on your What We Don't Accept List, but I think someone out there can find a way to reuse it. Can you take it?
A: Respectfully, no. On average, we receive more than 50,000 pounds of donations every month. While "someone could do something" with almost every item folks want to donate - and we would love to make that happen - we have to focus our efforts where we can make the most difference.
Q: I'm here to donate, but can you give me back my tub?
A: We strongly prefer that you bring your donation in a container that you will leave with us. We don't always have something readily available to transfer the materials into.
Q: This sounds complicated. Why should I donate my stuff to you instead of just dropping it off at another thrift store?
A: Austin Creative Reuse is proud to say that we have a 97% diversion rate, meaning less than 3% of the materials that come through our doors are sent to the landfill. We work hard to save every button, marble, and spool of thread that you give us. Many other reuse organizations throw away up to 30% of what they receive. Rest assured, your donations will find a great second life within the ACR community!
Q: Wow! Sounds like y'all work hard. What can I do to help make my donation easier to process?
A: Awesome - Thanks for asking! You can really help us out - and make us love you even more - if you organize your donations prior to bringing them in. Secure items that can tangle easily. Bag small, loose items (don't worry, we'll use the bags, too!). Bundle like items or items in a set/with multiple parts together. Taking the time to organize your donation means we can get it back into the hands of our community in minutes, not days.