Share (Portsmouth) has been awarded £10,000 from Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub to launch eco project to tackle e-waste
A Portsmouth charity is celebrating after being awarded a share of £500,000 to run an innovative eco project in the city to help tackle electronic waste and to support devices being used again and again.
Share (Portsmouth) has received a £10,000 grant from the Time After Time fund, created by Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity, Hubbub to support environmental projects across the country.
Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub established the Time After Time fund last year in response to the growing environmental impact of e-waste – the fastest growing waste stream in the world – with the UK producing more electrical waste per person than any other country in the world (except for Norway)1.
Share (Portsmouth)’s project was selected as one of 10 national winners by a panel of sustainability experts and will develop an online resource showing residents what they can do with their unwanted tech; whether that be repair, sell, donate or recycle it; as well as running some e-waste amnesty events later this year, and researching more about what leads so many of us to have stashes of unwanted tech in our homes.
Clare Seek, Founder of Share (Portsmouth) said: “We know from running Repair Café in the city for the past 5 years that many people want to do the right thing with their surplus tech and electrical items but are often unsure what to do with them, so they end up in drawers and backs of cupboards. We’re hoping that with this project, we can make it easier for people to clear out things that they no longer use and reduce the city’s e-waste.
We’re also looking for your help! Do you know somewhere locally that will help you repair your broken tech, or where you can sell or donate it? If so, please fill in our quick online form at www.shareportsmouth.org.uk/unwanted-electricals so we don’t miss anywhere in our mapping exercise. You don’t need to have all their information, as we’ll follow-up before adding them to the map.”
Gavin Ellis, Co-founder of Hubbub said: “E-waste is a pressing environmental issue so this funding is very welcome and enables us to support a range of initiatives that will make a real difference. We are particularly delighted that a number of the winning projects aim to engage with people aged 16-24 who are not only heavy users of electrical items but are key to helping tackle this issue in the future. We are thrilled to award Share (Portsmouth) with their funding and look forward to seeing what they achieve.”
Time After Time fund 2023
Following the success of last year’s initiative, Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub are launching the 2023 Time After Time fund with a further £500,000 available for community groups, charities and social enterprises to apply for grants to run projects that reduce e-waste and support digital inclusion.
Grants between £25,000 and up to £100,000 are available for projects which help recycle and rehome unwanted tech such as smartphones and laptops with people at risk of digital exclusion and unable to get online.
The fund forms part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainably strategy, the Better Connections Plan – and will support the company’s goals of supporting people to carry out 10 million circular actions to tackle e-waste by the end of 2025, and by connecting 1 million digitally excluded people across the UK rough free and affordable connectivity and services.
Applications are now open and close on Friday 20th October 2023.
Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “With the UK responsible for a staggering amount of tech ending up in landfill, and more than 19 million unused smartphones and laptops gathering dust in homes and garages across the country, Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Time After Time 2023 fund is focused on cutting e-waste, and supporting digital inclusion, by putting unused devices in the hands of people who need them.
“We encourage groups, charities and social enterprises across Hampshire to apply for a grant of up to £100,000 so we can fund innovative projects which help to protect the planet.”
For more information visit www.timeaftertimefund.org.uk
Photo credit: John Cameron on Unsplash
1https://green-alliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Design_for_a_circular_economy.pdf
2 Virgin Media O2 research on the number of devices gathering dust in homes and garages across the UK: https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/virgin-media-o2-research-reveals-15-millions-phones-stashed-in-the-attic-as-it-launches-500000-e-waste-fund/
