ReUSE originally stood for Re–Used Stuff Emporium. The idea for the club came from the student group SOURCE. Members of this group organized material exchanges once or twice a semester by setting up a table on Sproul Plaza, enabling members of the campus community to donate and pick up items.
In 2000, with funding from the university as well as support from the California Integrated Waste Management Board and SOURCE, ReUSE set up a shop for UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty to donate and pick up materials in the MLK garage. This shop operated for eight years as a central location for reusing materials.
In 2007, ReUSE began to expand further into the campus, establishing mini ReUSE stations in campus buildings for more accessible, visible and speedy reuse of items. ReUSE members and volunteers helped restock the stations. The stations were in high-traffic areas where students, staff and faculty could easily take the free items and bring their own reusable materials to donate.
Construction on the new MLK Student Union began in 2013. In the fall of 2015, the new ReUSE Store in the new MLK Student Union that had once been an abstract plan became a reality. And with that reality came even more planning! With the help of SERC sponsorship and Cal Zero Waste, the store officially opened in Spring 2016 and has been serving the campus community ever since.