How Carnival Costumes Gave Waste a New Life 

While clearing out the Pippbrook office, we came across a pile of old materials bits and pieces that seemed destined for general waste. They were difficult to recycle and, at first glance, didn’t appear to have any further use. 

Thankfully, Claire, a dedicated volunteer with The Westway and Prospero Theatre, saw something different. What looked like rubbish to us was, in her eyes, a treasure trove of creative potential. Claire quickly put the materials to work as part of preparations for the Caterham Carnival. 

The Westway, a vibrant community group, runs an Outreach programme and is home to Prospero Theatre—an inclusive theatre company with a passion for accessibility and creativity. Using the discarded materials, they designed and crafted colourful dragon and knight costumes for the carnival. Volunteers dressed up, transforming into mythical characters and bringing joy and excitement to the whole community. 

Even better? Their incredible efforts won first place at the carnival! 

But the story doesn’t end there. The costumes will live on, evolving into props and outfits for future Prospero Theatre performances ensuring that the materials continue to inspire and entertain for months (or even years) to come. 

In recognition of this we have awarded this story the Waste and Recycling badge for giving this a new lease of life to unwanted waste.

We’d love to hear from you if you have a story you would like to share with us about how you are taking action to become more sustainable!