Buy Nothing New Month is a campaign bought to you by the national charity Keep Britain Tidy.
The campaign challenges you to buy nothing new (essentials such as food and medicine are allowed!)
Sign up to the challenge on Keep Britain Tidy's website and you'll receive a weekly Buy Nothing New Month January newsletter jam-packed full of tips to help you on your way.
Why buy nothing new?
Reducing the amount of things we buy new, reduces our environmental impact. This reduces the need to extract more natural resources, reducing transportation and reducing waste.
As a society we need to move to a more circular economy to keep things in circulation for much longer and make the most of what we already have.
Buy Nothing New Month challenges you to turn over a new leaf and encourages you to love what you already have, repairing things rather than replacing them and finding new homes for things we no longer need.
It is also a great way to save money!
Top tips to help you buy nothing new!
Love what you already have! The challenge is a great opportunity to raid your cupboards (and loft!), have a rummage and you might be surprised by what you find.
Repair! Something broken? See if you can repair it. Check out YouTube for easy to follow repair videos or head to one of Suffolk's repair cafes to see if someone can help. See the dates of repair cafes in January below.
Re-use
- Visit our re-use shops at our Bury and Foxhall Recycling Centre. A range of pre-loved furniture, toys, garden equipment, bicycles, bric a brac, homewares and more available to buy to support the Benjamin Foundation. Open 7 days a week and no appointment needed.
- Take a trip to your local charity shop to see what gems you could find.
Swap - organise a clothes swap with your friends, neighbours or local community. A chance to refresh your wardrobe without having to spend a penny!
Borrow - sometimes we might need something to complete a job around the house. Before buying a bit of equipment or tool, see if you could borrow it? Ask your neighbours, friends or family or try the OLIO app which shows things you can borrow in your neighbourhood.
Gifts - Got a friend or family member's birthday during the challenge? You can still share the love in a #wastefree way - what about making them a present or treating them to coffee and cake or a meal out? Or if you'd like to gift them something - have a look through the charity shops for those pre-loved gems - perfect for unique gifts that support important causes too!
Repair Cafe events in January
For information on regular repair cafes that happen throughout the year, visit the repair cafes webpage for all the details.
