~ New reuse, repair and upcycling project for Devon!

The Devon Reuse project aims to promote and stimulate more reuse, repair and upcycling in the community, in small businesses, charities and social enterprise, and will run throughout 2015. The project will establish a Reuse Forum, an online Reuse and Repair Directory, provide workshops and practical skills training events, and make community reuse kits available for loan to people wanting to host events such as clothes swaps and ‘give and take days’. Emma Croft is the new Devon reuse project officer, now based at DCC, and she has experience of running reuse and repair events in Wiltshire alongside other waste prevention initiatives, while working at the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust who ran community waste programmes for the Council. Emma said: “‘I’m excited by the potential of this project to reduce waste and increase the amount of goods and materials that are reused and repaired. The first series of bike repair events has already been organised in Exeter at Pinbrook Recycling Centre.” (Please see other article for workshop details and dates) Work will include identifying and establishing a network of people, small businesses and organisations in Devon interested or active in reusing, repairing, re-making, or re-purposing any item, as part of the Reuse Forum. The Forum will enable people to network, share know-how, and explore potential partnerships. Are you an individual maker who needs specific materials or do you have an idea for a reuse enterprise but need some help? Are you interested in ‘repair cafes’? Are you a business that has reusable materials in your waste that you would like to see reused? Are you a charity or social enterprise that could benefit from marketing and promotion, or anything strategic? Do you want to revive jumble sales in your area? There will be different interest groups with different goals, but it is hoped that all interests can derive benefit in one way or another. The online reuse/repair directory will enable the public to easily find and connect with useful contacts, such as repair services, in their locality. Reuse enterprises, upcyclers and repairers will be able to market their services through inclusion in the directory. Do you know a repair enterprise that should be included? If so, please send us the contact details. The online reuse directory will be based on the market town areas of Devon. Different reuse and repair initiatives will be broken down into 6 categories: buy, sell, repair, hire, donate, and swap. The workshops and skills training events will hopefully inspire people to undertake more ‘reuse, repair, and New reuse, repair and upcycling project for Devon! upcycling’ in their lifestyles, and the whole project aims to act as a catalyst for stimulating higher levels of reuse in the community. Training sessions will include furniture, bike repair, creative clothing, transform your textiles, and repair cafes for more general items. 12 skills based workshops will be held, initially at Pinbrook Recycling Centre in Exeter, and also elsewhere in the community. Community Reuse kits will be available on loan to enable clothes swaps events and ‘give and take days’ to happen more easily. Clothes swap kits will include mirrors, clothes rails, sack truck, hangers, screens for changing, and guidance notes. Give and take event kits will include press release and poster templates, weighing scales to record items, table labels, signs, and other items. There are lots of ideas being discussed, such as organising a ‘Devon Reuse Week’ to promote reuse. How can we identify businesses with suitable resources in their waste and connect them with makers who want those resources? Do small makers/repairers need help with a premises hub, or to kickstart their idea, or an online selling platform for their creations? The project is being funded by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), Devon County Council and supported by DCRN and Sita, who run Devon’s Recycling Centres. If you want to be included in any way please get in touch, either as an individual, business, community group, charity or social enterprise, whether as part of the reuse/repair directory, the forum network, or are just interested in any of the training events, either participating or offering skills. Please contact Emma Croft via email: emma.croft@devon.gov.uk or phone 07966 566435, or join the free DCRN email list for regular email info about local events and news. Richard Gomme at info@dcrn.org.uk