A Greener Christmas: Upcycle or Repurpose a Gift

The City of Edinburgh Council is encouraging the capital's residents to be more sustainable with our gifts this Christmas? One way to be more eco-friendly is to repurpose or upcycle an item with the help of the Edinburgh Reuse Map

Advertorial by Jamie Dunn | 08 Dec 2021
  • Upcycle or Repurpose a Gift using the Edinburgh Reuse Map
The City of Edinburgh Council
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Christmas can be an incredibly wasteful time of year, with all of us prone to buying our loved ones mint fresh gifts that they neither want nor need and which will end up languishing at the back of a cupboard or sock drawer until the next clear out. A much more sustainable – and affordable – solution would be to repurpose a gift or upcycle a once-loved item to give it a new lease of life for someone who would appreciate it. That’s exactly what Tim Drew did this year with the help of the Edinburgh Reuse Map.

Tim is originally from the Netherlands but has been living in Trinity in north Edinburgh for two years, having moved here with his girlfriend after completing his degree at the University of York. Over lockdown, he set himself the challenge to make a quality post on his Instagram every single day, and the run has lasted over 550 days so far. His aim is to produce fun, bright, colourful content about his new home of Edinburgh, which then gets shared across the globe. “I love to hear messages from all around the world saying they’ve enjoyed my work and even some who said they have, or will, come to Edinburgh because of it,” Tim told us.

As part of The City of Edinburgh’s campaign to reduce festive waste, Tim used the Edinburgh Reuse Map to help repurpose a used item at a local workshop. We spoke to him to find out more.

The Skinny: How conscious are you of waste at this time of year?

Tim Drew: I have to say I am more conscious than I normally am. I think with all the amazing discussions on climate action going on in the world this year, my mind is much more sustainably focussed. It pains me to see all the people and countries who are at risk from climate change, so by wasting less I can make a small difference in the climate crisis.


The Edinburgh Refuse Map; image: Tim Drew

How did you use the Edinburgh Reuse Map to be more sustainable this Christmas?

Honestly, it was so useful to find eco-friendly shops in Edinburgh. My girlfriend and I are really interested in supporting local vintage shops, so the clothing section of the map, especially, was super helpful. We also have a few pieces of furniture that have been looking a bit worse for wear recently so we plan to find somewhere to help fix those by using the map. It saves buying whole new expensive pieces.

I see from your Instagram that you visited the Swapshop at the SHRUB Coop's Zero Waste Hub on Bread Streat. How was that experience?

The Swapshop was amazing. The volunteers are so helpful and explained it all. You can sign up for membership and collect tokens by donating clothes and switching them with other items in the shop. I’m actually surprised by the high level of options available, with many items just £2 or £3 where they would be £10-plus in most fast fashion shops. The more we can get away from fast fashion brands that use Black Friday as a way to exploit workers and damage the environment, the better.

You also did the SHRUB Coop's Repair What You Wear workshop. How was that?

They were lovely. They helped us use the materials they supplied – I am awful at sowing – to help fix my girlfriend's favourite jumper which had a hole in the collar. They were lovely, so I hope my posts might raise a little more awareness for them.


SHRUB Coop's Zero Waste Hub; image: Time Drew

How easy was the Edinburgh Reuse Map to use?

It was surprisingly easy. When looking through it in order to find the Swapshop I was playing around looking at what it has to offer. I love the ease of finding specific shops and businesses. It's especially useful for students, I think. This map saves so much time searching through google. It gives you an easy map to find the closest and best local businesses. I seriously think this map is super useful.

So can you see yourself using the Edinburgh Reuse Map in different ways?

In the future, for sure! It has helped change my mindset from being lazy and buying new, to thinking about fixing items. To literally have a map guide you from start to finish on finding the right business for you helps so much. There is no longer any excuses for me not to look for greener solutions.

Do you have any other plans to help reduce your Christmas waste this year?

My girlfriend has a masters in sustainability, so we are definitely looking to use her knowledge and the map to have a greener Christmas. We are looking into making our own decorations for the tree, using recyclable materials. Also, compared to last year we plan to eat and buy less food – and we're looking at more sustainably sourced ingredients from local businesses. Just having a greener mindset will help!!


To try the Edinburgh Reuse Map yourself, head over to the Edinburgh Reuse Map
And find out more about how you could have a greener Christmas at edinburgh.gov.uk/greenchristmas

Follow Tim at @timdrew_