Higher Manchester is marking Restore Week 2024 (11-17 March 2024) with a rallying name for a ‘restore revolution’, as an eye-opening new survey reveals that greater than £1.2bn is probably misplaced yearly on throwing away and changing home goods that may very well be repaired.
Analysis commissioned by Recycle for Higher Manchester (R4GM) discovered that final yr Higher Manchester residents threw away an estimated £417 million* value of things that might have been repaired as a substitute. An additional £809 million* was then spent on changing the broken or damaged gadgets.
The figures present that, on common, residents have 5 damaged or broken home goods that they imagine may very well be repaired. The commonest issues reportedly thrown away are garments, kettles, hairdryers, headphones and toasters.
Via a collection of occasions and workshops throughout Higher Manchester this week (11-17 March), R4GM can be shining a highlight on the affect of waste and goals to empower residents to find out how they will lower your expenses – and shield the atmosphere – by repairing the gadgets many instinctively throw away. Various neighborhood organisations working throughout our city-region can be showcasing their work in supporting residents to restore too.
Restore Week goals to sort out the monetary and environmental impacts of this waste head-on, and spotlight the ways in which folks throughout Higher Manchester can restore gadgets or go them on to be rehomed and resold.
Cllr Tom Ross, GMCA’s lead for the Inexperienced Metropolis-Area and Waste and Recycling, mentioned:
“Higher Manchester is residence to so many restore heroes, and we’re proud to shine a highlight on the sensible work they do. I’m delighted to see neighborhood teams from throughout the city-region getting concerned with Restore Week to encourage residents to maintain their home goods in use for so long as doable, and to reveal the various choices for restore on peoples’ doorsteps.
“All of us discover it irritating when among the items we purchase value extra to restore than exchange – however there are such a lot of home goods that may be given a brand new lease of life at low value. That’s why, by implausible assets just like the Renew Hub and Renew Outlets, we wish to assist folks to learn to lower your expenses, or get a cut price on good-quality gadgets which were repaired, particularly through the ongoing cost-of-living disaster.
“I hope that this yr’s Restore Week can kickstart a restore revolution in Higher Manchester that won’t simply save folks cash, but in addition assist us reduce down on what we throw away and shield the atmosphere. It’s an effective way for residents to get in contact with restore occasions of their native space.”
This yr, Restore Week provides residents the prospect to talk to our restore and reuse specialists on the Renew Hub in Trafford, and to see what goes in to repairing widespread home goods similar to bikes, electricals, upholstery and extra.
There can be a guided tour of the Renew Hub in Trafford Park on Monday (March 11) to go behind the scenes and get an understanding of waste and recycling in Higher Manchester. Then on Tuesday (March 12) on the Hub a Restore Honest is being held the place folks can be taught from the specialists to see how they restore and refurbish gadgets.
The Renew Hub and Outlets have raised greater than £1m for charity by repairing items donated by Higher Manchester residents, displaying what could be doable by repairing quite than discarding gadgets starting from bikes to white items.
Cash raised by the Renew Hub and Renew Outlets additionally helps assist tasks by the Recycle for Higher Manchester Neighborhood Fund, together with community-led actions and programmes similar to restore cafes and textile upcycling programs – which means residents can discover assist with repairing their home goods all yr spherical. These neighborhood teams are additionally being showcased throughout Restore Week, giving residents the chance to find long run restore assist of their native space.
In addition to workshops and different restore classes, there are a selection of free movies on the Recycle for Higher Manchester web site providing sensible steering for repairing many home goods.
An inventory of the actions and occasions happening, together with on the Renew Hub, could be discovered right here.
