Continuing our virtual Climate Café where we look at people making a positive contribution to the planet , Gilly Smith talks to Brighton ’ s queen of reuse
Cat Fletcher has always been a trailblazer when it comes to environmental consciousness . She moved to England from Sydney in 1992 for love , but quickly became passionate about waste .
Recycling had been a part of Cat ’ s everyday life back in Sydney ; it was easy and efficient . “ People simply set out their recyclables by their doors , and they were collected weekly without much hassle ,” she says . The absence of a similar system in Brighton had Cat initially just sorting the leftovers at her friends ’ houses after parties , collecting their bottles , cans and cardboard to recycle . “ They just thought I was a bit bonkers ,” she laughs .
Her passion for reducing waste was rooted in her Sydney upbringing . Her father , a professional yachtsman , instilled in her an appreciation for materials and the work that goes into making things . “ I had a good understanding of materials and the work that goes into making something . I look at things and have this X-ray vision of how have they made that ? What ’ s that made of ?”
This hands-on approach was particularly useful when she had three young children and a tight budget . “ I just had to get a bit creative ,” she says . “ I used to pick things up off the street , you know , chest of drawers , a bag of stuff , and I ’ d take it back and see if I couldn ’ t paint it or fix it .”
With an eye for an upcycling bargain , she took on a stall for years at Brighton Station ’ s legendary Sunday car boot . “ It was a place full of old school duck and dive guys . There were the Victorian antique boys who used to get there at three in the morning with their mining lamps , and they ’ d be gone by 7am .” With the kids asleep in the back of her van , she was perfecting her craft while making a name for herself and enough cash to pay the bills . It was this vibrant reuse scene that inspired Cat to take her passion to the next level .
In 2007 , when she had to downsize her home , she discovered Freecycle - an online platform for giving away unwanted items . Impressed by the concept , Cat decided to launch her own local group , Brighton Freecycle which quickly gained a loyal following . But frustrated by the rigid rules imposed by the US-based company , she began
to think about upcycling the group itself . “ I just thought , you know , I don ’ t need their Yahoo group . The group doesn ’ t even have to be called Freecycle . I can just make another Yahoo group . And so I did , at three o ’ clock in the morning , I just made up a name called a Greencycle Sussex , and I just transferred all the members of Brighton Freecycle onto that new group .”
This bold move caught the attention of a Guardian journalist , who wrote a story about Cat ’ s independent venture . The article sparked a domino effect , with Freecycle groups across the UK abandoning the US organisation to join Cat ’ s new network . “ By Friday night , I think 60 Freecycle groups had gone .”
And so Freegle was born - a decentralised , volunteer-led network of reuse groups across the country . Over the next 15 years , Freegle would grow into a wellorganized , legally recognised cooperative , with a team of dedicated volunteers supporting local groups , winning Cat a Sussex Eco Volunteer Award .
It also won the attention of the head of sustainability at Brighton and Hove Council who was one of the judges . He invited her to join its sustainability partnership along with the main players in the city ’ s infrastructure . “ So I turn up there and there ’ d be a skip outside full of furniture . I was like , ‘ Guys , there ’ s a pile of reusable stuff being smashed to pieces outside . What ’ s wrong with you ? Either give it to someone to use , or you can get money for metal that could be income for the council . Why are you paying a waste management company for a skip ?’”
Using Freegle to shift everything from desks to filing cabinets , windows to heaters to NHS surgeries , schools and individuals , she was soon emptying Council buildings , 16.9 tons of furniture from Bartholomews House alone . “ I even gave away the carpet tiles on the floor ”, she laughs .
The clearance of the old Council HQ at Kings House won her a Naticnal Recycling Award , but also an introduction to the CEO of the UK ’ s largest waste management company bidding for a contract in Greater Manchester , valued at £ 50 million annually . As the contract demanded an element of social value , Cat spotted the opportunity to recycle the work that she was doing for the Council in Brighton and Hove and adapt it for Manchester ’ s specific needs .
“ They deconstructed this huge anaerobic digester , a great big industrial building , hollowed it out , brought in 20 shipping containers , turned them into art galleries and makers ’ units . They brought in all the people that I ’ d found around Manchester that could fix , reupholster , upcycle , repair , jewellery and they all came in and got a hub , a place to work . And then they retrained 650 staff all around the tips , so now , when anyone in Manchester goes to the tip with anything that ’ s upcyclable , it goes back to all the different makers in that one hub and back out shops at the tips where they sell it . It makes over a quarter of a million in profit every year which goes back into the community .”
Cat can be found at the Freegle Free Shop in the Open Market on Thursdays to Saturdays