Prize draw prompts 1,800 pledges to 'love their clothes'
A Crediton curate has won Recycle Devon prize draw by pledging to reduce the amount of unwanted clothing she throws away.
The Reverend Helen Drever of Crediton Parish Church won a £45 laundry ‘bucket’ made from ‘upcycled’ sailcloth donated by Sails and Canvas in Topsham.
The draw was part of the Love Your Clothes campaign which aimed to change the way Devon consumers buy, use and dispose of their clothing.
The £10 vouchers winners are Sandy Parle from Seaton, Kathy Tagg from Exeter and Jane Rosewell from Clyst Honiton.
Recycle Devon, a partnership of 10 councils including Devon County Council, eight district authorities and one unitary council aimed to get more people to think about what clothes they throw away and to reduce the impact of unwanted clothes on the environment.
All entrants had to sign up to at least one of the following:
• To look for pre-loved clothes at a Clothes Swap, Charity Shop or Online
• To both care and repair clothes, for example, by washing them at 30°C
• To refashion and upcycle clothes by altering, accessorising and combining clothes in a new way
• To pledge to recycle unwanted, clean clothes at a charity shop, clothes bank, via my recycling collection or clothes swap
• If buying new, I pledge to choose clothes that are well made, easy to care for and made to last
• To find out how else I can reduce clothes waste by visiting www.recycledevon.org.
The competition led to more than 1,800 individual pledges being made.
The Reverend Helen Drever said: “It is very important to take care of our beautiful planet. I want to support people who recycle and upcycle and businesses like Sails and Canvas who care for the environment. I was very happy to take part and make my pledges and am thrilled to have won.”
Liz Jarvis, Senior Waste Manager at Devon County Council, one of the authorities in the Recycle Devon partnership, said: “It has been really encouraging to see so many people take an interest and sign up to one of our pledges. Every year an estimated £140 million worth of used clothing weighing around 350,000 tonnes is disposed of in the UK and Devon needs to do its bit to reduce that. Recycledevon.org has bags of information and advice on how to shop smart, love your laundry, give your wardrobe a spring clean and re-create your look. Thank you to Sails and Canvas for generously donating the prizes.”
The Love Your Clothes campaign launched in 2014 and has been developed together with industry organisations to help change the way the UK consumers buy, use and dispose of their clothing. The ultimate aim is to reduce the environmental impact of clothing across the UK and influence a more circular approach to clothing globally. Love Your Clothes is part of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), which is coordinated by WRAP, a not-for-profit organisation which receives Government support across the UK.
Recycle Devon is a countywide waste communications campaign which represents a partnership of 10 authorities across Devon including Devon County Council, 8 District Authorities and Torbay Council. For more information visit www.recycledevon.org
