Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Have you heard of World Environment Day? This international holiday takes place on June 5, 2024, and is focused on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.

At Stardust, we take the health of our environment seriously. We are passionate about reuse and diverting usable materials from our landfills. This work helps reduce our carbon footprint, improve the health of our environment and reduce...

Do you want to learn how you can be more “green” or “eco-conscious”? To help us celebrate National Recycling Day, Stardust is starting the conversation about what it currently means to recycle, and how we can change for the better in the future.

What is “recycling”?

In this context, “Recycle” is the process of converting certain reusable waste materials into new products, which is a much more...

All week long, we have been sharing information about the “5 R’s of Sustainability”, how to be more eco-friendly, and Stardust’s role in the community, with today being the finale! If you have been following along with us for all 5 days, thank you – this is the first time we’ve put together an educational campaign on social media like this, and we hope you’ve enjoyed everything we’ve shared.

So far this week, we’ve shared info on...

Do you want to learn how you can be more “green” or “eco-conscious”? To help us celebrate National Reuse Day on Friday, October 20, throughout this week we will be sharing information about the “5 R’s of Sustainability”, how to be more eco-friendly, and Stardust’s role in the community.

Have you heard of the 5 R’s of Sustainability? They are made up of “Refuse”, “Reduce”, “Rot”, “Recycle”, and “Reuse”. (You may also see other...

Are you interested in learning more about what it means to be “green” or “eco-conscious”? All this week, we will be sharing information about the “5 R’s of Sustainability”, how to be more eco-friendly, and Stardust’s role in the community.

Have you heard of the 5 R’s of Sustainability? If not, here’s a little history on them: Originally conceived of in 1970, the same year that Earth Day was first introduced in America, the 3 R’s (as...

Do you want to learn how you can be more “green” or “eco-conscious”? To help us celebrate National Reuse Day on Friday, October 20, throughout this week we will be sharing information about the “5 R’s of Sustainability”, how to be more eco-friendly, and Stardust’s role in the community.

Have you heard of the 5 R’s of Sustainability? They are made up of “Refuse”, “Reduce”, “Rot”, “Recycle”, and “Reuse”. (You may also see other...

Do you want to learn more about what it means to be “green” or “eco-conscious”? To help us celebrate National Reuse Day on Friday, October 20, from Monday through Friday of this week, we will be sharing information about the “5 R’s of Sustainability”, how to be more eco-friendly, and Stardust’s role in the community.

Have you heard of the 5 R’s of Sustainability? If not, here’s a little history on them: Originally conceived of in...

Halloween is right around the corner! And, we’re adding fall vibes in the warehouse with a few upcycled glass shade pumpkins. This is an easy and fun DIY because all you have to do is drip paint. You will need the following…

• Glass Shades
• Acrylic Paint
• Cork Top
• Wire
• Wire Cutters
• Super Glue

Bar carts are super trendy right now. Priced anywhere from $150 to $300 in regular retail stores, we built one with reclaimed materials for under $30! All you need are some drawers, shelves, casters, and time.

For years “starve the landfill” has been the Stardust rallying cry! Now, Starve the Landfill is a program that advocates the importance of deconstruction and building material reuse to businesses in the construction industry.

Here to explain more about this new program is Stardust Resource Development Manager, Jason Carlyle!

Can you tell me about the STL program?

...

For many people entertaining and eating is done right in the Kitchen. This is an important focal point for not only your guests but also potential buyers/renters. Giving your kitchen a facelift could be just the thing it needs! I know, easier said than done, considering the cost not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on a new kitchen. Using salvaged items not only adds character but also allows you to go green while trimming your...

I’m excited to announce the new Stardust brand. Our transformation marks a new beginning with a renewed logo, website, and most importantly a continued commitment to keeping usable materials from our landfills. We are Stardust!

A LOOK BACK

When we opened the doors of our first reuse center in 1997, landfills were quickly filling with usable building materials. A group of concerned people lead by Tom Fraker,...

Valentine’s Day is next week so we collaborated with one of our favorite volunteers, Bill Handley of Unbdot, to create a reclaimed wood heart that doubles as a vase! Learn how to make it and give a gift that comes from the heart.

Materials Needed:

• Reclaimed...

Stardust’s vision is a future without waste; a sustainable community where resources are reused or redistributed. For over two decades, we have worked with the construction industry to implement eco-friendly practices, like deconstruction, that have resulted in more than 80 million pounds of reusable building materials diverted from the waste stream. But how can we do more to reduce waste? The answer is advocacy.

Last...

Ceramic tile, porcelain tile, tumbled marble tile, white, black, blue, and green tile…We’ve got a lot of tile! Which got us thinking of some other ways we could creatively repurpose it. Why not a tic tac toe tile board! Here’s how you make it!

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Spray Paint or Paint Markers
• Painters Tape
• Tile (whatever size, color, or type you’d like)
• Washers
• Tile...

Not only does Stardust Building Supplies divert usable building materials from the landfill but we also partner with the Good360 program to collect out of season, returned, or slightly damaged but still reusable items from corporate retail stores. These items are not resold but are rather distributed at no-cost to partnering nonprofit organizations.

Currently more than 300 organizations use the Gifts In Kind program to receive home...

In June 2016 Stardust Mesa got a makeover and expanded the warehouse by 17,000 sq. ft, adding a new section called the RE:USE Market, a community partnership that helps raise funds for local organizations by offering space in the warehouse to sell in-kind donations like furniture.

Today, we partner with nine organizations including Maggie’s Place,...

The Stardust reuse center in Mesa is mainly filled with salvaged cabinetry, appliances, and light fixtures but part of the space is also home to AZ Strut, a nonprofit organization that provides quality refurbished computers to schools and non-profits around the state. So, what happens when you combine reclaimed building materials with recycled computers? A feat in creative reuse!

When Tom, Executive Director of AZ Strut, had a couple of...

The Stardust Repurpose Team is at it again! This time they built a sideboard for our conference room by reusing reclaimed base cabinets, hardwood flooring, and pallet wood.

Easily replicate this DIY sideboard for your own home by following our how-to steps.

Would you like some ideas on how to make your holidays green? In September Stardust was lucky to receive a group of volunteers from the Intel Encore Fellow program to work with our organization for a year creating up-cycled projects with reclaimed materials. For the past month they’ve been hard at work creating recycled holiday items that are both unique and stylish.

Come see for yourself what they have made and add some “green” to...

MATERIALS

• One Polished Brass Bound Glass
• 3 Lantern Light Fixture
• Multi surface Paint: Blue, Light Green, Black, White, Red, Orange, and Yellow
• Cup and Water
• Paper Towels or Shop Towels
• Paint brushes
• Flat Brush (1/2″ to 1″)
• Fine Brush (Round or Liner)

STEPS

1. Detach the light fixture that is inside the lantern by first...