Across the different TOG spaces, we have always had some form of shelf where unwanted items could find a new home.
Back in 2014, we wrote about our Two Shelves system. Items left around the space were placed on the shelves, where they could be collected by their owners, picked up for a new project or eventually cleared out.
The shelves have changed over the years as TOG has moved from one building to another. In our current space, the idea has a new name but the same great feeling behind it. It is now called the Rehome Shelf.
The idea is simple. If you see something on the shelf that you could use, take it away and give it a new home. You might find a book, a cable, an electronic component, a tool, a toy or the missing part for your next project.
Members can also leave useful and interesting items on the shelf for someone else. Something that is no longer useful to one person could be exactly what another person needs.
The shelf now has a new sign, and even the sign has been rehomed. It started life as another sign that someone was looking to dispose of. With a little paint, some design work and a trip through our laser cutter, it has been given a new life as the sign for the Rehome Shelf.
It is a small example of what the shelf is all about. We want useful items to stay in use for as long as possible instead of ending up in landfill. Sometimes an old item only needs the right person, a new idea or a little bit of work to become useful again.
The next time you are in TOG, have a look at the Rehome Shelf. You never know what you might find.
Take what you like, or leave something interesting.