Scottish third sector given funding to boost repair skills

Zero Waste Scotland is launching the fund specifically for charities and social enterprises whose growth is restricted by a lack of repair and reuse skills.

Grants of up to £1,500 are available to cover the costs of tuition, travel and subsistence, and any materials or equipment needed for the course.

Zero Waste Scotland chief executive Iain Gulland, said: “Increasing repair skills in Scotland is vital to increasing the amount of goods being re-used and repaired.

“Building on and expanding existing repair skills also has the having the potential to create many new, sustainable jobs in communities across Scotland. We need to preserve the skills we have and attract new young people to learn the skills of repair, which will be increasingly important to our economy in the future.”

Missed opportunity

Research suggests that over 150,000 tonnes of re-usable goods are still going to landfill in Scotland every year.

“By re-using more, we can prevent items going to landfill needlessly as well as encouraging sustainable new employment opportunities in local communities,” said Zero Waste Scotland.

Last week, WRAP called for greater collaboration to increase re-use in the third sector across the UK, launching a new tool to facilitate business partnerships.

The UK-wide resource efficiency lobby also released seven video case studies and provided step-by-step guides, such as ‘make re-use a strategic priority’ and ‘produce a re-use action plan’.

Re-use case study

Brad Allen