Submitted by Peter Lumb on Fri, 2019-09-27 12:07
It’s perhaps the stereotypical view of a University building – dusty shelves filled with books and old documents. Certainly a common sight around the University, storage is a key issue for many departments, with academic research to archive and varied financial and administrative operations to support.
The Department of Biochemistry are no different. In the bowels of the building on Tennis Court Road, up until recently an archive room lay over-bound with shelves full of myriad documents and folders. Under-used and over-stocked, the space had become something of a challenge. That’s until Roger, the department’s Building Services Manager, spotted a ‘rolling’ shelving system that had been posted on the University’s WarpIt portal. No longer needed by the Vet School, the shelving was the perfect fit for the Department of Biochemistry’s problem archive room. Fitted in hardly any time, the rolling system now allows for a more effective use of the space, and makes life easier for the accounts and admin teams in the building.
Image: Roger with Biochemistry's new rolling shelving
The best thing? The whole system was free, and Roger’s claim on the items prevented them from ending up in a skip and contributing to the University’s £1.4m annual bill for waste disposal. It’s all thanks to WarpIt, the University’s free internal re-use platform. As Roger testifies:
“We find Warpit an extremely useful site as it enables users to recycle, relocate, or reuse unwanted items. The items we claim may be new or pre-used, but are often a big improvement on items we already have. We have benefited greatly not just from the rolling shelving, but also by claiming desks, chairs, bookshelves, filing cabinets and more.”
Spread the word
Make sure you speak to your colleagues about WarpIt – it’s free, easy to use and can be used for everything from stationary and office consumables to furniture and equipment! The more people who hear about WarpIt, the more we’ll be able to promote re-use and facilitate savings. You can read more and register a Warpit account via the Environment & Energy website, where you can also download or request a WarpIt poster. So don't be 'shelf'-ish - use WarpIt to share your unwanted storage furniture, and much more!