Newsroom

Nottinghamshire County Council and Veolia are partnering up with Inspire Libraries to organise a Christmas Jumper Swap to raise awareness of textile waste.

It is estimated that only two in five people keep their Christmas jumper to wear again. This initiative aims to promote the reuse of clothing.  

Nottinghamshire residents will be able to donate their pre-loved Christmas jumpers at four library locations across the county; Worksop, Beeston, Retford and Kimberley. All donated jumpers must be clean and wearable. 

The donated Christmas jumpers will then be available to swap at two Christmas library markets:

• Worksop Library Christmas Market on 29 November 9:30am - 2pm, at Worksop Library, Memorial Ave, Worksop, S80 2BP
• Kimberley Library Christmas Market on 6 December 10am - 1pm, at Kimberley Library, Main St, Nottingham, NG16 2LY

Any jumpers left over after the two events will be donated to local shelters, organisations and charities. 

For more information about the initiative, visit: www.nottinghamshire.veolia.co.uk/xmasjumperswap

In Nottinghamshire, over 70 tonnes of reusable clothes are thrown away each week, which is equivalent to one t-shirt per household per week. Whilst this initiative focuses on Christmas jumpers, Veolia and Nottinghamshire County Council ask residents to choose to reuse clothing items year-round instead of throwing them away. For more information about textile reuse and how to reduce textile waste at home, visit:  nottinghamshire.veolia.co.uk/textile-waste-reduction

Dean Ford, Regional Director for Veolia Nottinghamshire, said: “With over 70 tonnes of clothing being discarded each week across the county, this initiative, delivered in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council and Inspire, provides an alternative way for residents to refresh their Christmas wardrobe whilst encouraging reuse.

“These events extend our sustainability efforts by asking the community to think differently about textile waste. By choosing to reuse unwanted items instead of throwing them away, we can all make a meaningful difference to the environment not just this Christmas, but throughout the year.”

Councillor Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “This is a great initiative aimed at reducing textile waste over the festive season. By donating a jumper you are no longer going to wear, you will be giving it a new home. 

“Anyone wishing to donate a jumper can visit either Worksop, Retford, Beeston or Kimberley library, where drop off bins will be located. If you would like to swap your jumper for another pre-loved one, come along to the Christmas market events in Worksop and Kimberley.

“We hope that this campaign helps to raise awareness of textile waste and promote the reuse of clothing, particularly at a time of year when we generate 30% more waste.”

Peter Gaw, Chief Executive at Inspire, said: “Inspire is proud to support Veolia’s Christmas Jumper Swap, helping to spread the message to reuse rather than buy this festive season. As key delivery partners of Nottinghamshire County Council, we’re delighted to collaborate with Veolia on this initiative that promotes both sustainability and community engagement. Through this partnership, we hope to inspire residents to take part, reduce waste, and contribute to making Nottinghamshire a more sustainable county.”