Gift Your Gear…
The simple act of donating and recycling equipment once it has been used is an age-old community idea. For centuries people have ‘helped thy neighbour’, and now one UK re-use project can claim to be the proud owners of a Gold Award at the recent OutDoor 2015 European Trade Show in Germany.
The project was started by Sarah Howcroft with the simple basis of recycling equipment after outdoor activities like hikes and climbs, as a way of encouraging young people to get outdoors more! Fully working and undamaged outdoor kit is re-directed to charities, youth groups and community organisations.
Many industries are now facing a challenge to become more sustainable, and through reusing and recycling equipment they are able to do that. Part of the issue is that people don’t take such good care with their belongings nowadays, and that’s a subconscious part of having a waste-heavy, fast-manufacturing society. Some call it a throwaway culture.
While a lot of outdoors equipment can be mechanically recycled for its materials, there is also a lot of equipment that can’t. That’s why recycling equipment to a new purpose, or a new owner is such a great community idea.
Imagine the thousands of tents left at festivals all over the world, they are made from cheap materials and wont be recycled, often they are left muddy and still constructed, to be someone else’s problem. But what if they were packed down and donated, with all of their tent pegs and poles, for someone else to rebuild and enjoy. These tents could provide emergency shelter all of the world. In fact they are, but on a small scale, because there are simple not enough volunteers to pack up and sort out every good quality tent. Pilot schemes have taken place at various festival, but it will take a huge push for donating to overtake dumping, and perhaps a collaboration with tent manufacturers.
Tents, hiking poles, outdoor clothing, backpacks; recycling equipment like this instead of letting it get dusty in a garage will bring joy to someone who really loves the outdoors.