Recycle Archaeology: reuse and recycling of de-selected archaeological artefacts for public benefit

In 2019, CIfA mandated policies for de-selecting archaeological finds for all archaeological projects . Archaeologists were encouraged to be more explicit about what they would discard, but less attention was paid to how these items might be disposed of. Examples in the CIfA toolkit emphasized reburial and skipping, but not the reuse or recycling of de-selected objects. Recycle Archaeology finds new options for reusing artefacts that can‘t find a home in museums. Our art and crafts workshops, classroom museums and ‟Pub Archaeology” nights put de-selected artefacts into the hands of non-archaeologists, exploring what participants think should be done with de-selected finds. Most de-selected materials qualify as construction waste - a national priority for recycling. Recycle Archaeology contributes to debates surrounding circular economies in construction and ‟de-growth” in archaeology.