Reuse

Learn ways to reuse and re-purpose items rather than sending them to landfill and find contact details for local groups who can help mend and repair your items.

Pass it on

• Donate, sell or swap unwanted items – one person’s trash is another’s treasure!
• Host a clothes swap at your home with a group of friends
• Consider passing on unwanted items as gifts to friends and whānau
• Consider shopping second hand as your first option

Bring your own

• Containers for refill and bulk buying stores
• Coffee cups and water bottles
• Reusable cutlery and straws
• Food containers for takeaways
• Reusable cloth napkins and handkerchiefs instead of disposable
• Reusable shopping bags

Ideas for re-purposing items

• Use shoe boxes for organisation or storage
• Use the fabric bags that bedsheets come in as organisers for laundry or packing
• Reuse empty food containers as Tupperware
• Reuse empty beauty containers for storing small items in your home
• Use paper bags for gift wrapping
• Use tin cans as pencil holders
• Use glass jars as cutlery holders
• Use plastic bottles as watering devices for your garden

Repair and care

• Mend and repair clothes before throwing away and buying new replacements. Simple sewing skills will go a long way. There are some great instructions and advice on the Love Your Clothes website.

Repair and alteration advice

• Get familiar with your local repair shops for electronics and gadgets, or have a go by searching on YouTube to see if it’s a simple fix you can do yourself.
• Contact local community repair groups who might be able to help
  • Men’s Shed on Railway Road or THRIFT in McLeod Bay for household items

  Men's Shed Whangārei website

  THRIFT website

  • EcoSolutions for clothing mending and upcycling

  Upcoming events - EcoSolutions website

  • Whare Bike for free bike repair drop-in sessions

  Whare Bike Facebook page

• Get stuck in with DIY and have a go at fixing old furniture or household items yourself, or hire a tradie.
• Learn to look after items properly to make them last longer. For clothes, read the fabric care labels and follow the instructions, wash less dirty clothes at a lower temperature and spot treat stains rather than washing the whole item. 

Tips for clothes care - Ecostore website

• Invest in better quality items when purchasing so that they will last longer where possible.