Reuse, recycle and repair: 15 ways to live a greener life in London

If the blender’s on the blink or the toaster’s bitten the dust, don’t throw it in the trash: fix it! Hackney Fixers runs regular events teaching people to get savvy with a screwdriver and rewire like a pro. Book into a Rosie the Restarter workshop for women or get wired with your mates at a Restart Party. For non-Hackneyites, The Restart Project hosts similar events across the capital and has an online directory to get you connected with other fixers in your area.

There’s nothing more annoying than a loose button or a hole in a favourite shirt. Instead of shouting ‘darn!’ just, um, darn – and patch and stitch and appliqué. The gorgeous Village Haberdashery in West Hampstead has a great changing programme of workshops, while at Fabrications on Broadway Market you can become the master of a sewing machine or acquire upcycling fashion skills. We’ve also got a sleepy eye on the pyjama-making classes at Sew It with Love near Waterloo.

For all of the above and more, you can also head to one of the many Repair Cafés in north London, where you can learn to mend pretty much anything, including bikes, clothes and household items. Organised by the North London Waste Authority, they aim to reduce rubbish while giving people the chance to very smugly say ‘Oh yeah, I fixed that myself’ to any house guests. From September 2019 to February 2020, find the cafés in Barnet, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

Rather than dump furniture and household goods each time you get the home-makeover urge, donate them online. Freecycle is but a few clicks away while the Reuse Network is always on the lookout for donations – and they have a great system for seeking out the nearest reuse charity to your home. The British Heart Foundation does home collection and will send you a notification when the item is sold. It’s a lovely feeling knowing your unwanted stuff has helped a great cause.

Until January 2020, visitors to Tate Modern can bring along an old T-shirt to recycle and get 20 percent off admission to ‘Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life’. This artsy incentive overlaps with  the Danish-Icelandic artist’s practice, which focuses heavily on sustainability. The best part is that you get to help the environment, save some pennies and play inside a giant kaleidoscope. In a similar year-round initiative, H&M will give you a £5 voucher for every bag of old clothes donated to one of its stores.

Website Recycle Your Cycle takes unwanted adult bikes (Dyson and Henry vacuum cleaners too) and sends them to UK prisons where the inmates are trained to fix and refurbish them. The prisoners gain employment skills and the repaired bicycles are sold to raise money for charity. RYC can, however, only pick up 20 bikes or more, so consider arranging a group collection in your community; or contact charity shop chain Sue Ryder, which can collect single bikes for the same project.

It’s that special time of the year again and Aunty Barbara just gave you an extra-large mango shower gel from The Body Shop for the third year running – despite the fact you’re allergic to mango. Donate your unused (it’s important that they’re unopened) toiletries and electricals (like hairdryers and shavers) to Beauty Banks, a fabulous online project that passes them on to people who really need them, including those in temporary accommodation and shelters.