Let’s (Tool) Share the Good News

In the year running up to the first lockdown of 2020, Tool Share managed 208 tool loans to a membership base of 26 people. Covid put a spanner in the works (pardon the pun) temporarily halting the project with the need for social distancing.

In this time, Tool Share shifted from in-person collections to a system whereby reserved tools were delivered to remote lockers for members to collect and return in their own time. Between March 2020 and March 2022, only 107 tool loans were managed. But as the face-to-face dynamism of society resumed, this new system has helped Tool Share bounce back better.

Since Spring, there have been 321 tool loans to nearly 40 members. And you know what? We reckon we could do more.

As Tool Share continues to grow in St Andrews, a network of sharing libraries and repair cafés is evolving across Scotland. It is exciting news that could see a radical mindset shift in waste management, prioritising reuse and repair over recycling and landfill. This vision was backed by 97% of Scotland’s Climate Assembly in early 2021.

The launch of the network has been heavily backed and funded by the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland. There are big things on the horizon for reuse and repair in Scotland. Be a part of it by joining Transition’s Tool Share in St Andrews.