In an effort to stretch the budget – and to keep waste from going to landfills -- JPS team members are giving spring cleaning a twist.
Members of departments across the health network on Wednesday brought unwanted or no longer needed office supplies to the Radiology Department Conference room. On Thursday, department representatives will return to check out what everyone else brought to the makeshift supply depot in search of things their office needs.
Simply called the “Office Supply Swap,” this is the first time JPS has hosted the in-house supply trading session in two years. In 2016, about $20,000 worth of unneeded materials were shed at by JPS departments, according to Teresa Brumfield office supply representative to JPS from Guy Brown Diverse Business Solutions. About $16,000 worth of those supplies were reallocated to other health network departments with the $4,000 worth that couldn’t find a new home at JPS donated to charities that could make use of them.
“It’s the right thing to do for a lot of reasons,” Brumfield said of the supply swap. “It’s going to save the tax payers money and it’s a green solution that will keep these things from going to the landfill.”
Cathy Polson, Administrative Assistant in the Radiology Department who helps to coordinate the trading session, said items donated to the cause include things like binding machines, file folders, hole punches, staplers, toner cartridges – and there are usually even electronics up for grabs including computer monitors, keyboards and scanners.
“One department might not need something anymore,” Polson said. “But another department is likely to be happy to have it. Especially since they don’t have to go out and buy it.”
This is the fourth time JPS has staged an Office Supply Swap. The first time came in 2012 and netted about $7,000 in unused resources. About $6,500 worth of those items remained at JPS to be used in a different department. In 2014, about $21,000 worth of supplies were passed on to a new home.
Polson said she hopes that the event, which previously has been held about every other year, will become an annual occurrence.