Nottinghamshire’s Big Christmas Jumper Swap is back!

Nottinghamshire residents can donate their clean and wearable pre-loved Christmas jumpers between 2 and 29 November at seven libraries across the county including Arnold, Beeston, Bingham, Hucknall, Mansfield Central, Newark and Worksop.

Donated Christmas jumpers will then be available to take or swap at three Christmas library markets:

• Kirkby in Ashfield Library: Saturday 21 November between 10am and 1pm, Ashfield Precinct, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottingham NG17 7BQ

• Worksop Library: Saturday 28 November between 9:30am and 2:30pm, Worksop Library, Memorial Avenue, Worksop, S80 2BP

• West Bridgford Library: Saturday 5 December between 10am and 2pm, Bridgford Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6AT

Any jumpers left over from the three Christmas market events will be donated to local charities.

Over 12 million Christmas jumpers are thought to be purchased each year, with a quarter only worn once.* Reuse initiatives like this give people the opportunity to engage in fun festive fashion for free, without impacting the planet.

The event, which is free to attend, is a partnership between Veolia, Nottinghamshire County Council and Inspire Libraries. For more information, visit: nottinghamshire.veolia.co.uk/xmasjumperswap

Councillor John Semens, Deputy Cabinet for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We all have a part to play in reducing waste, not just at Christmas, but at all times of the year. I’m proud to be doing my bit to reduce textile waste at Christmas by donating a Christmas jumper that I no longer wear as part of this year’s Big Christmas jumper swap in partnership with Veolia and Inspire.

“The collection boxes are easy to access and if you would prefer to bring your pre-loved jumper to swap it for another one, we look forward to seeing you one of the three library Christmas market events.

“With figures showing that many Christmas jumpers are only worn once, make this year the time to tackle seasonal textile waste.”

Steve Mitchell, Regional Director for Veolia Nottinghamshire, said: “By choosing to reuse clothing, residents can make a big difference to the environment. Reusing textiles keeps them in use for longer, lowers the demand for more items, and ultimately reduces the amount of energy needed to create new clothing. We look forward to kicking off a green festive season with Nottinghamshire’s residents at these events!”

Peter Gaw, Chief Executive at Inspire, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting Veolia and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Christmas jumper swap in our libraries this winter, culminating in stalls at three of our Christmas markets. Our Christmas markets, now in their 4th year, have fast become an annual celebration of everything our libraries stand for: creativity, collaboration, and community. Alongside Veolia and Nottinghamshire County Council, our hope is that communities take this opportunity to embrace the power of being green by extending the life of clothes around the county. We can’t wait to see what festive knitwear finds new homes this winter!”

In Nottinghamshire, over 70 tonnes of reusable clothes are thrown away in the general waste bin 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