Do you need to own your own power washer? What about a steam cleaner for your carpets? It’s spring, and soon, hardware shops and discount retailers with their “middle aisle” deals will try to convince you that buying one of these is how you need to get prepared for the season ahead.
However, if you open up the garden sheds of Ireland, you’ll spot much the same inventory. A lawnmower, a strimmer, a step ladder, and maybe a power washer and a steam cleaner too.
You needed to buy the shed to store all the stuff. And with the constant stream of middle aisle deals, you’ll soon need a bigger shed. You can probably buy that in the middle aisle too.
But power washing a slippery patio and steam cleaning your carpets aren’t jobs that need to be done often – maybe just once or twice a year. For the rest of the time, all this stuff is living rent-free in your shed, waiting for its once- or twice-a-year outing, while quietly depreciating.
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But there’s another way of doing things that’s better for your wallet and for the environment – and some residents of approved housing body Clúid are part of a pilot scheme.
Starting this year, and partnering with “circular living” company Reloop, Clúid is helping residents to save money by offering a free lending service of infrequently used items.
Instead of the traditional “buy, use and throw away” model, Reloop’s mission is to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible through reusing, repairing, sharing and repurposing.
Using Reloop’s online booking system, Clúid residents can get free access to high-quality household products they only need occasionally – such as steam cleaners and power washers.
Reloop will redistribute your items to charity partners including Oxfam and St Vincent de Paul, where they can be resold to support people in need
“The concept is based on a shift from product ownership to product access, reducing unnecessary purchases while supporting affordability and enabling more sustainable living,” says Clúid.
Residents can use the system to borrow other things too – such as a hand trolley, so effective for moving furniture, or folding chairs and trestle tables for that one-off big family party you might be planning.
The pilot is running for three months in four Clúid-owned and -managed neighbourhoods in Dublin, covering 800 households, with the potential to expand the scheme.
Clúid residents can even borrow Meta VR goggles, a Sony PlayStation or a Microsoft Xbox through the scheme.
It’s all about supporting people to live more sustainably, says Clúid.
Clúid residents can also book a free monthly doorstep collection of clean, good-quality second-hand clothes, shoes, bags and books.
Reloop will redistribute your items to charity partners including Oxfam and St Vincent de Paul, where they can be resold to support people in need. Some 63,000 tonnes of textiles end up in landfill annually in Ireland every year, says Reloop.
Got old personal tech and household electrical items? An old mobile phone, tablet, monitor, camera, remote controls, gaming consoles, hard drives, chargers, cables or the like? You can have those picked up too.
Reloop will assess them for reuse first, and items that can be refurbished will be donated.
Giving gadgets longer lives in this way helps to reduce electronic waste and make technology more accessible to everyone, says Reloop.
Items beyond repair go for safe and responsible recycling. Only four in 10 new tech products sold in Ireland end up being recycled correctly, Reloop adds.
Creating a more sustainable future isn’t just about buying less, it’s about rethinking how we use, share, and reuse what we already have, the circular living company says.
With most of us juggling work, family and daily responsibilities, it can be hard to do the right thing. At 1.6 per cent, Ireland’s circularity rate is significantly below the EU average of 12.8 per cent, says Reloop.
However, free, circular services can make it easy for us to make a collective impact – one power washer at a time.
