Happy swappers at the Great Waste Swap & Swish
The Great Waste team and Emmaus UK teamed up to run the first Swap & Swish event, where the free exchange of unwanted items meant that people were really making off with bargains.
The Swap & Swish held in Winchester Discovery Centre on Saturday 9 May attracted 80 people who brought 500 items to swap, from books and hats to toys and clothes. There was something for everyone.
Project organiser Susie Phillips said:
In total one fifth of a tonne of items were swapped which is a great success. Those items will be reused and loved rather than go into landfill or incineration. It is a very easy event to run as everybody has got things they want to pass on. We want to encourage other people and groups to put on similar events around the district and we are happy to provide support and advice on how to do it.
Some of the leftover clothes were donated to a group providing clothes for the homeless and two big bags of children’s clothes and toys were donated to Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group.
The Great Waste project aims to show people the value of waste. Winchester City Council, which has commissioned WinACC to manage this year-long initiative, to encourage people to cut down on waste, and to recycle all they can and put less into their black bin. Emmaus UK will be helping to run the Repair café scheduled for 1 August in the Discovery Centre where people can get their broken things fixed for free.
If you are interested in holding your own Swap & Swish event please visit the web page http://www.thegreatwaste.org for full details.
All the information regarding the project can be found on the Great Waste web page http://www.thegreatwaste.org . You can also check the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegreatwaste or tweet #greatwaste.