Circle of life

The circular economy looks at how to keep goods, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible. This can be done by re-using, repairing, sharing, and avoiding single use. Islington Council’s circular economy grant scheme has helped 23 local businesses to reduce waste and in turn, moved Islington one step closer in its mission to become a net zero borough by 2030. We speak to Mercedes Oli, who runs community interest company Mer-IT, about the difference the grant has made to her business

Tell us about Mer-IT.

We are based in Clerkenwell, and we are all about making tech equipment last longer, reducing waste and giving people without access to technology the chance to learn about computers and IT. We get computers donated to us by companies and organisations that are upgrading their systems. Then, we train local young people in repairing electronic goods and laptop refurbishment, which are then distributed to charities, community centres, schools –anyone who needs them.

Why did you apply for Islington’s circular economy grant?

We are passionate about environmental issues. A lot of the time, companies give us equipment because it’s broken or outdated and buying the parts we need to repair them is expensive. We also see many computers go to waste because they are so old, nobody can benefit from them. We wanted to find a solution to these issues.

What did you do with the grant?

We spoke to other businesses to understand how these problems are being experienced elsewhere and found that the price of parts can make repair more expensive than buying new. We’re creating a database of parts, so more computers can be repaired for free.

The grant’s enabled us to be more creative and come up with solutions that we couldn’t have put into practice without the additional funding. It’s meant we can be more competitive, while keeping our green credentials.

What difference has it made?

It has strengthened our focus on repairs, which is much more environmentally friendly and means that perfectly usable computers aren’t going to waste.

It also means we can provide longer-term warranties, which will help us keep going in the long-term.

What other changes might you make in the future?

We know that most CO2 in our industry is created by manufacturing, so we want to change perceptions that tech constantly needs to be replaced. With more creative approaches, we can extend the life of computers and other tech significantly, meaning less CO2 and less equipment in landfill.

Find out how your business can become more circular: islingtonsustainability.network