How to Reuse Wood at Home

a set square sits on top of a piece of wood with a pencil
a picture of blocks of wood arranged in a neat pile, showing the square ends of the different pieces of wood

A good start is to audit your wood waste at home – what wood waste are you making in the first place? Look at our page on reducing wood waste for ideas on how to stop making wood waste in the first place!

  1. Sawdust – you can use sawdust as a filler for small holes in wooden objects if you mix with PVA glue – just fill and sand over when dry.
  2. Small pieces of wood – there are a huge number of hints and tips for reusing small bits of wood on YouTube, Pinterest and TikTok. Search for “Wood Waste Tips” for loads of ideas, like a keyring phone holder or a pencil holder for a desk. You could even give them as gifts!
  3. Old floorboards – if you have lots of one type of wood product then look out for places to give away old stuff to. Is there a charity that could use your old wood ?
  4. Old furniture – great for upcycling! Give it a coat of paint and some new upholstery and Voila! A whole new piece of furniture!

How to Reuse Wood at School

All the same ideas as for households apply to schools! Borrow, mend, don’t buy unless needed, share resources between schools, donate old stuff to local people or charities. Bring about a mend and reuse culture by regular involvement of students and their families in initiatives to reduce waste and energy, like Earth Days, energy efficiency talks and our interactive workshops for schools.