A Highbridge resident’s rescued bookcase upcycled into a plant stand has been declared the winner of a Somerset recycling competition.
Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) organised the first Somerset Reuse Week competition with the aim of raising awareness of reuse as an alternative to buying new, recycling or throwing away.
Nearly 200 people received face-to-face advice about local reuse options and throughout the week residents were asked to share their reuse success stories.
The randomly chosen winner was Maggie from Highbridge who found an unwanted bookcase in the yard of a retirement home, destined for a rubbish skip.
After a sanding down and a lick of paint, it is now covered in plants and taking pride of place in Maggie’s back yard.
Maggie, a member of the Highbridge Ladies’ Shed group that regularly fixes things, said: “I try to reuse everything I can and if I can create something useful out of waste, that’s even better. It can take time and a bit of effort, but it’s good fun and very rewarding.”
As her prize, Maggie has chosen a ‘repaired for reuse’ laptop – a prime example of reuse in action.
Reuse Week activities included a busy schedule for the Fixy van – Fixy McFixface – which visited Yeovil, Chard, Ilminster, Frome and Hemyock. The launch of the Somerset Fixy van was featured here by Burnham-On-Sea.com.
The van was promoting the repair and reuse of electricals and electronics, supporting Somerset’s Repair Café network and encouraging reuse volunteers.
Thanks to Somerset-based DonateIT, Fixy also runs a “tech amnesty”, taking donations of broken or unwanted smart tech including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, digital cameras and games consoles.
For more information about the Fixy project please visit somersetwaste.gov.uk/fixy
