Is your office or department bursting at the seams? Or are you in need of specific items for your office or department, but don’t have a budget for them? Check out Asa’s Attic, a program that repurposes furniture, electronics, and other items on campus rather than throwing them away. Over the last year, Asa’s Attic has undergone a reboot. Through this program transformation, more surplus materials are being repurposed on campus, sold off campus, or recycled as scrap metal than ever before and, as a result, fewer materials are being thrown away. It’s a win win win!
Glenn Strause, Manager of Surplus Property and Logistics, oversees Asa’s Attic, which is run out of Building B on Lehigh’s Mountaintop Campus. Through Asa’s Attic, faculty and staff can either post an item(s) they want to get rid of OR search for item(s) that they may need for their office or department. All the items posted on Asa’s Attic are available to faculty and staff for free. “I always try to repurpose the items that fit well or match the style being used across campus first, before offering it to the general public ,” says Glenn. “Then, if there is no interest within the community, they are sold to buyers outside of Lehigh, thus lowering the institution’s waste disposal costs.”
Need an item? Want to get rid of an item? How does the process work?
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Fill out this form or email Glenn Strause (ghs2@lehigh.edu) with a list of the items you have
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Glenn, or someone on his team, will come and get the items
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The items will get posted on Asa’s Attic for 30-45 days, which are viewable by faculty and staff
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Faculty and staff can claim items on Asa’s Attic for free (the only cost would be if you need ABM to move the item(s), then those costs are directly billed to the department).
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If the items are not claimed by someone on campus within 30-45 days, they get posted for sale on a Government Surplus Auction website called govdeals.com where people outside of Lehigh can bid on the items. If an item sells on govdeals.com for more than $500, the department who was getting rid of the item gets to keep the money minus a percentage that is taken to support the Surplus Property and Logistics Department.
How is the program doing since the reboot? Since July 2018, hundreds of items including desks, chairs, tables, and shelves, have been repurposed on campus to over 25 departments. This means that these departments did not have to go out and purchase these materials, saving money, and resources. Additionally, Lehigh has posted 320 auctions on govdeals.com, which have made the university money. When asked what the most memorable sale was so far, Glenn said, “I recently sold a lot of 20+ decks that came from the 5th floor Maginess Hall remodeling. The buyer told me that these desks are heading to the set of a reboot of NYPD Blue, airing next year. These were a retro style desk and matched what the producers were looking for.”
If you are looking to get rid of something or are in need of something, be sure to check out Asa’s Attic. You can view available items here or post items here. If you have questions about Asa’s Attic, please contact Glenn Strause, Manager Surplus Property and Logistics at ghs2@lehigh.edu.