Deelbaar Mechelen (Shareable Mechelen)

Lending out tools or seeds? In Mechelen it is possible

Deelbaar Mechelen (Shareable Mechelen) believes that reusing and sharing is better than buying. Not only for your wallet, but also for the environment. The enthusiastic volunteers behind the project started 2 libraries: the DIY library where they lend out tools and the Seed Library where seeds, cuttings and plants are exchanged.
 
Library with tools for home and garden

The Klusbib is a library with tools for home and garden chores. For a membership fee of 30 euros for the first year and 20 euros for the other years, all inhabitants of Mechelen can borrow tools that they only need a few times a year. That costs a lot less than buying new tools yourself and provides a lot of space in storage rooms, cellars and garages to store other things. After all, why buy a leaf blower that you only use twice a year or a drill or electric screwdriver that you only really use a few minutes a year? Especially if you can borrow them for free?

Library of seeds, cuttings and plants

In the Zadenbib, Mechelen residents bring in seeds, cuttings and plants they do not need themselves. If you collect seeds and let them germinate, you can harvest them yourself later and bring them to the Seed Library. Those who have too many cuttings or plants can exchange them for other cuttings or plants. ‘In this way, we want to bring together Mechelen residents with green fingers, green the (front) gardens in Mechelen, help increase biodiversity in the city and give Mechelen's climate ambitions a boost,’ says Thomas Pluymers of Deelbaar Mechelen.