Lil Reuse
The Lil reuse initiative is an ongoing series of events and activities helping everyone share their surplus and make use of good quality household items and clothing to save it from being wasted or exported out of our community as much as we can.
In 2024/25, Lil kept more than 3139kg of items in circulation across more than 560 households in East Lothian. This is through our Revolving Wardrobe, which provides 24/7 access to secondhand clothes at The Mart, East Linton, and through our events, notably our flagship ReUse Fest held annually in Haddington.
“This was my first Lil event, I wasn’t fully prepared for the … relief I think is the best word. You could really see how much it meant to people.” ReUse Fest project coordinator after the 2024 Haddington event
“The Lil ReUse Project has genuinely been a lifeline for us. It’s helped take the pressure off in so many ways, and I honestly don’t know what I’d have done without it….. The Lil ReUse Project has helped us financially, supported our wellbeing, brought us closer to our community, and made us more environmentally aware. It’s had such a positive impact on our lives, and I’m truly grateful it exists.” - Haddington single mum
We are currently looking forwards to the expansion of the initiative to support communities to develop projects in other areas - why have just your wardrobe when you can have a Revolving Wardrobe!
Lil Revolving Wardrobe [East Linton]
The revolving wardrobe is a collection of preloved quality clothing and shoes ranging from newborn to adult (all genders) and includes maternity wear and menswear. Why buy new when you can rock vintage! It’s the best treasure hunt around - and all free!
You can easily drop off your good quality* outgrown preloved items and pick up new ones. All the clothes are sorted into bags by size so you can quickly locate what you need AND you can park directly outside (or it’s right next to East Linton train station). The project is designed to be easy & stress free. We take care of the checking, sorting and organising the clothes which are all freshly washed - you just choose what you want (& return what you no longer need).
Anyone can access the Wardrobe at any time.
Just fill out this short form and you will receive an email with the required key code, instructions and directions. (It should arrive almost immediately, please check your spam filter if you can’t see it.)
We welcome good quality * donations too. Please wash and sort clothes by size to lessen the sorting load on our wonderful volunteers, thanks.
It’s not just about swapping clothes, it's also about growing the community - you’ll be part of a network of local families working together to reduce waste and support each other.
*good quality items are those that if they were still your style you'd still be happy to wear - no stains, rips, missing buttons, broken zips etc thanks.
Why Revolve our Clothing?
We don’t have enough space in our wardrobes or on the planet (or for many, resources in our wallets) to keep buying new - we’re fuelling an industry that’s taking advantage of us! It creates poor quality clothing, made with unsustainable materials in unethical conditions much of which ends up polluting the land & homes of nations far from here.
Textiles make up only about 4% of Scotland's household waste by weight, yet they account for nearly a third (32%) of the carbon impact of household waste
Many textiles are made from mixed materials, making recycling difficult. Additionally, textile recyclers are often overwhelmed with the volume of discarded clothes.
The cost of clothing a baby in the UK from birth to three years old can range from £1,000 to over £2,000, depending on purchasing habits and lifestyle choices - this is massively reduced if we opt for second hand clothes and equipment and we create a resource for those less able to afford new too.
