Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS), the body responsible for delivering the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan, is offering third-sector organisations grants of up to £1,800 to train staff in repair, refurbishment, and upcycling.

The ‘Repair and Upcycling Training Grant Fund for the Third Sector’ has been launched today (29 June) after ZWS found that a shortage of repair and upcycling skills could be preventing reuse organisations from growing their businesses.

As such, it is offering Revolve-accredited organisations carrying out reuse activities in Scotland grants of up to £1,800 to cover the costs of repair and upcycling tuition for electronic items, furniture, bicycles, and textiles, as well as any travel, subsistence and equipment costs needed for the training.

It is hoped the fund will support and sustain jobs, increase the quantity and quality of goods repaired and subsequently reused in Scotland, and reduce the 150,000 tonnes of reusable goods that are sent to Scottish landfills every year.

Louise McGregor, Head of Circular Economy at ZWS, said: “Increasing repair skills in Scotland is vital to increasing the amount of goods being reused. Building on and expanding existing repair skills also has the potential to create many new, sustainable jobs in communities across Scotland. We need to preserve the skills we have and attract new young people to learn the skills of repair, which will be increasingly important to our economy in the future.”

Those seeking grant funding should demonstrate how training staff and volunteers will increase their reuse activity.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, 31 August, and all grants should be spent by 31 March 2016.

Find out more about the Repair and Upcycling Training Grant Fund for the Third Sector.