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 bed sheets come in as organisers for laundry or packing.
• Reuse empty food containers as Tupperware or for storage.
• 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

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 Whangārei (menzshed.org.nz) - Railway Road
• THRIFT (theheadsrepairitfreeteam.wordpress.com) - McLeod Bay for broken items
• Repair Cafe Whangārei (facebook.com) - holds free monthly events where they help to repair small applications (no microwaves), textiles, bikes, wooden items, sharpen tools, toys and more.
• Whare Bike (facebook.com) - free bike repair drop-in sessions

Get stuck in with DIY and have a go at fixing old furniture or household items yourself, or hire a tradie.

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