Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

About the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR) was started out of a van in 2007, but in its short life has already made a name for itself in the creative reuse culture of Pittsburgh. In 2008 a partnership between the Pennsylvania Resources Council and the center led to a new home on the second floor of Construction Junction’s warehouse space. Over time the steady increase of traffic and donations led them to outgrow their space and relocate to the ground floor of the same building.

This new space is filled to the brim with an assortment of random items such as birthday candles, clocks, fake pumpkins, forgotten family photographs, vintage wigs for your pets, and whatever else you could imagine. By organizing workshops at local schools, museums, and personal parties, the nonprofit is able to achieve their goal of promoting “resource conservation, creativity, and community engagement through material reuse.” As a result of this community involvement they were able to divert 35 tons of usable materials from landfills, which is equivalent to the weight of almost three school busses!

The success of their resourceful organization is thanks to a loyal set of volunteers, donors, and customers. Individual donations of materials, which are then sold in the shop, make up approximately 80% of the PCCR’s operating budget. If you’re looking to become a part of Pittsburgh’s creative reuse culture the PCCR will happily accept your donations! If you are unsure what to donate, check the wish list that they update based on the ebb and flow of products through their doors.

The constant flow of items allows the PCCR to change their inventory as often as Pittsburgh’s unpredictable weather. As materials change so do their “playshops,” like Reuse-a-Palooza and crafting sessions for birdhouses, books, and trophies. In 2014 these events passed on PCCR’s motto of creativity and sustainability to about 13,000 people in the community. The majority of their customers are teachers, students, and artists, but the center is continually expanding further into the community.

Neighborhood
Point Breeze

Pittsburgh Creative Reuse Culture: Large and Small Scale

A quick walk through the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse and the theme is evident. Stacks of old participation trophies, buckets of beads, and rolls of gaudy wallpaper would seem like junk to most sane people, but here they bring infinite opportunities to create. This creative reuse culture seen at the PCCR has been cultivated by the oscillatory nature of our city. The humble beginnings of Pittsburgh started with a massive influx of immigrants, largely from Eastern Europe, motivated by the industrial job opportunities present.

All for Fun, Fun for All

The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR) is more than a center for recycling and a place for used goods. It is a resource for the community that provides a creative outlet for children and students. But such resources are typically not available to the elderly communities where such programs could be useful. Community arts and crafts programs provide companionship, dexterity, and stimulation of the imagination. These are just some of the aspects that can be helpful to the senior community.

Spend Less, Save More

A city thrives on community. Unlike rural areas, the unique quality of a city is in its ability to condense a large population into a smaller area of land. Within this cultural mesh, community inevitably forms. It’s what this community brings to the city itself that matters. Pittsburgh is a city that utilizes community in many aspects, one being through the act of reusing and recycling.

Loose Parts and Reuse Arts

For those unfamiliar with the Theory of Loose Parts, this is basically it. The theory, in short, describes how people placed in an environment with more individual parts will be able to channel their creativity better than people placed in an environment with fewer moveable parts. When thinking about everyday life, at least for adults, it’s difficult to think of many situations where this theory may apply. Many adults work office jobs or have careers that do not require too many individual variable parts or, for that matter, much creative thinking.

Let's Create Together

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up”  -Pablo Picasso

Creativity should not be underestimated.  Try to imagine a world without art. No illustrations fill the pages of children’s books, no advertisements plaster our highways, and no music plays on the radio. The world is gray, dull, and empty.