The Big Declutter during Pass It On Week

Edinburgh Zoo is encouraging local authorities, businesses and organisations to get involved in The Big Declutter.

This is part of Zero Waste Scotland’s Pass It on Week between 9 – 17 March 2019 which hopes to show that decluttering is more than just a clear out it is a way of passing your unwanted items on to someone who might love them.

It is a great opportunity to pass on things which might seem useless to you to someone who could do with them – and not simply adding to the rubbish mountain. This way of getting rid of what you consider to be rubbish will support sustainability.

To launch the campaign, Edinburgh Zoo’s Green Team welcomed a large donation with many items being passed on the Highland Wildlife Park.

Organisations can find out how to support the campaign by using Zero Waste Scotland’s online partner guide, which provides ready to use downloadable material.

Gemma Mudie, head of sustainability at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “As a wildlife conservation charity, our goal is to connect people with nature and protect species from extinction and we know this is only possible when we’re also working to protect the environment.

“Sustainability is very important to us and, as well as welcoming donations of items we can use to make enrichment for our animals, we also work with a number of other charities and partners to ensure that nothing in good condition goes to waste.”

Catherine Bozec, Consumer Campaigns Manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Passing an item on after a declutter can help good causes, as well as reducing the number of items ending up as waste. Having a good clear out reminds us what we really need instead of buying more and this helps to preserve natural resources. Edinburgh Zoo is the perfect example of an organisation that benefits from many of the things that businesses and individuals would likely throw away.”

To download the toolkit or sign up as a partner for ‘The Big Declutter’, visit www.passitonweek.com and register your plans at http://www.recycleforscotland.com/submit-an-event.

Share your Pass it on Week story on social media using the #PassItOnWeek #TheBigDeclutter hashtags.

Zero Waste Scotland is behind Pass It On Week. It forms part of their £73 million programme invested in the circular economy and resource efficiency projects. This was made possible by support from the European Regional Development Fund.