Over the last 12 months, Reading Library of Things loaned out 1,049 items, helping residents avoid unnecessary purchases, save an estimated £55,698.75, reduce carbon associated with manufacturing new products, and generate an estimated 2,098 additional visits to the high street and community hubs.
Overview
We are delighted to report that 1,049 items have been loaned to customers in the last 12 months. This matters for Reading and the wider environment because each loan helps the community get more value from shared items, reduces unnecessary consumption, and keeps useful products in circulation for longer.
Methodology
Our methodology is based on the approach used by the wider Library of Things network, with slight adjustments for Reading Library of Things. You can read more in this Library of Things blog post.
Environmental Impact
Small motorised appliances are among our most popular loans. Items such as strimmers, lawn mowers and pressure washers are frequently borrowed and make up about 13% of total loans.
The table below estimates the carbon and rental-cost savings achieved when customers borrow these items instead of purchasing or commercially renting them.
| Small motorised appliance | |
| Number of unique customers who borrowed small motorised appliances | 137 |
| Estimated customer carbon savings | |
| Estimated manufacturing carbon cost per unit, kg CO2 | 50 |
| Estimated CO2 saved, kg | 6850 |
| Estimated customer rental savings | |
| Average commercial rental cost, £ per week | £37 |
| Estimated rental cost saved | £5,069 |
Financial Impact
- Total item rentals from Reading Library of Things in the last 12 months: 1,049
- Estimated share of rentals that directly prevented a purchase: 262 rentals, or at least 25%
- RLoT’s 10 most rented items and estimated new-purchase costs: hedge trimmer (£35); Makita 6.0Ah battery (£71.99); strimmer (£28); pressure washer (£99); corded hedge trimmer (£39); Ferrex reciprocating sabre saw (£51); folding camping table (£21.99); cordless drill (£52); JCB garden shredder GSB 1800 (£84); pressure washer – mini (£48.99)*
- The average new-purchase cost across the 10 most rented items is £53.
Average amount paid per loan (late fees): £0.34. Membership costs £25 per year, and we had 222 active members. Members borrow an average of 6.9 items per year. So a total membership cost of £3.84 per loan on average.
Average amount saved per loan: to calculate this, we compare the average cost of buying the same item new across our 10 of our most rented items, currently £53, with the average amount paid per rental, currently £3.84. This gives an estimated average saving of £49.16 per rental.
Estimated customer savings: 1,049 rentals x £49.16 saved per rental = £51,568.84 saved by users in 2025–26.
Community and High-Street Impact
To estimate the additional visits to the high street and community hubs generated by Reading Library of Things, we count two visits for each completed item rental: one to collect the item and one to return it. In 2025–26, 1,049 rentals therefore generated an estimated 2,098 additional visits.
Our ambitions for 2026-27
Coming into 2026–27, Reading Library of Things will continue building on this impact by expanding access, increasing repeat borrowing, and helping more residents benefit from shared resources.
We also need to grow the membership to a point where the library is self sustaining. Membership fees covering costs. At the moment we are roughly loosing £2,000 per annum, with costs of rent, insurance, etc exceeding income. We would like to be in the position of being able to afford to buy some tools.
Open a new centre but need volunteers to do it!
Notes, Assumptions, and Limitations
- Estimated manufacturing carbon cost for small motorised appliances is based on publicly available Google search results indicating approximately 50–150kg CO2 per unit.
- Estimated weekly rental cost for garden equipment is based on publicly available Google search results.
- The borrower-savings estimate does not account for product purchase-price variation, discounts, second-hand sales, product model or brand differences, or the full purchase-price range across the Reading Library of Things catalogue.
- The high-street and community-hub estimate assumes two visits per completed rental. Some users may rent more than one item at a time, while others may visit without completing a rental.
- Estimated purchase costs are based on examples of low- to medium-cost items in these categories listed on the B&Q website in August 2026.