October is National Reuse Month! So now is a great time to re-heel your favourite shoe, borrow from the library or shop in the local charity shop. You can learn how to reuse even more at home, at work and at play by attending a local Reuse event this October. For information on Reuse or Reuse Events near you see reusemonth.ie or waterfordcouncil.ie.
Ollie & Mary, Eamonn, Geoff & Teresanne are all going to taking on a task for Reuse Month and we'll be checking in with them to see how they get on.
Here are 10 ways you can get involved in Reuse Month 2018!
1. Repair & Revive
If it's not broke don't fix it.. but if it is broke - try and fix it before dumping it! Fix or clean up what you already have, and try your best to upcycle anything that's seen better days. If you're not up to the challenge, you can try repairmystuff.ie for local repair help!
The Revamp Tramp is great for inspiration and she holds workshops every few weeks!
2. Buy pre-loved clothing or upcycle your clothes
Find pre-loved clothes at your local charity shop, social enterprise, vintage shop or market. Your wallet will thank you (and you might look as cool as Macklemore)! Alternatively, you can revive your old clothes in many ways - change a pair of jeans to shorts, tie-dye that jumper that got ruined in the wash or try different ways to style your clothes!
3. Borrow, rent or share it!
Doing some DIY? Having a party? Rather than spending a fortune on things you're not going to use often, try borrowing equipment from your friends or family.
4. Bring your own ...
Bring your own reusable coffee cup, water bottle, shopping bags and containers! Many cafes and stores are not offering discounts when you use your own containers / cups as part of Plastic Free Waterford.
Molloys Butchers Arkdeen are offering 10% off everything in store when you bring a reusable container!
5. Check online for free items before buying new
Before buying something brand new, check online to see if you can find the item second hand. You might get it for free, or you might be able to trade something you no longer use for it! Déise Buy and Sell and Done Deal are great for freebies. Keep an eye out for any trade events and check freetradeireland.ie!
6. Get involved!
Go along to one of the nation-wide events during Reuse Month! Taste the Waste is being held in The Lemon Tree, Dunmore East on the 18th of October from 7:30pm - 9:30pm. It'll be an evening of culinary recycling and will have a cooking demo from Joan Power. Admission is free but you must book and collect tickets via 0894834555/ 0860658495.
7. Host a Swapsie Event
A Swapsie event is a pop-up style experiential Swap Shop encouraging you to re-home your pre-loved clothes. A group in Dublin set up SWAPSIES, which aims to empower people to swap over shop. The idea is that everyone brings along 5 items and you can leave with 5 new ones - genius!
8. Be Inventive!
There are so many ways to reuse and recycle items that you may no longer want. One of the most quirky ones we've come across is people having little book libraries outside their houses or in communities that encourages people to take a book but also to leave a book in its place.
9. Get your workplace involved
If you're a manager or an employee interested in organisation and minimising waste, consider getting in a speaker to encourage employees to declutter their home or work space. Sarah Reynolds is the lady behind Organised Chaos, Ireland's first professional organising company. You'll definitely learn a thing or two from Sarah about reducing waste and reusing space in your home/office that you never knew existed!
10. Spread the word!
One of the best ways to support Reuse Month is to spread the word! Tell your friends and family that it's Reuse Month and encourage each other to make even one small change. Get the kids involved too!
