Gearing up for Pass It On Week

Tomorrow marks the start of Pass It On Week – and it lasts ten days!

With this year’s Pass It On Week starting tomorrow, now is the perfect time to clear out cupboards, wardrobes, garages and sheds of unwanted or unused stuff that could have a useful life with someone else. From clothes to bikes, books to sports kit and gadgets to tools, everything is potential re-use treasure.

Over 600 events are due to take place during Pass It On Week, Scotland’s popular annual re-use week, from swishing – or swap-shop – events, to repair and upcycling workshops and bike donation drives to pop up shops for preloved goods. The week includes a Big Electric Amnesty with hundreds of organisations from Hawick to Orkney running drop-off schemes for people to donate unwanted electronic items for re-use.

Moving away from a throwaway culture and re-using things more often is a key part of Scotland’s ambition to be a more circular economy. The Scottish Government’s Making Things Last strategy calls for re-using and repairing to become more commonplace activities. Scotland has a national standard, called Revolve, which aims to encourage people to re-use more by assuring high quality and a good customer experience when visiting re-use shops.

Andrew Pankhurst, Reuse Campaigns Manager, Zero Waste Scotland said: “Pass it on Week has fast become a popular event which encourages everyone to do what they can to help Scotland move from a disposable culture to one where we all work to make things last.

“By sharing, swapping, repairing and buying second-hand, we are together creating a more sustainable, circular economy for today and in the future.” 

Here’s a flavour of the Pass it on Week events taking place across Scotland:

–       Highland Council Re-Use Pop Up Shop, Eastgate Centre: creative ideas for re-using or passing on unwanted items; how to breathe new life into tired furniture; free textile repair and upcycling workshops.

–       Library of Things, Kirkcaldy: launch of a library of DIY tools and gardening equipment that can be borrowed for free – 11 March

–       Re-style Fashion Show, Edinburgh: an evening of sustainable upcycled fashion and live music – 11 March

–       Rohan stores across the country are collected unwanted outdoor gear in return for discounts of full price purchases – from 11 March

–       To find out what’s happening near you and where to take unwanted items, go to www.passitonweek.com

Share your pictures and tweets on social media using the #PassItOnWeek hashtag.

Pass it on Week and the Big Electric Amnesty are funded as part of the Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme Fund, which is administered by Zero Waste Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).