Reuse in the community

There so many ways in which you can reuse your unwanted items and save them from the bin. Give your unwanted items a new lease of life by choosing to donate, swap or sell them. Instead of buying new, you may also be able to pick yourself up a bargain by buying reused instead.

Below is a selection of simple actions you can take to reuse for the benefit of your local community.

"One man's waste can be another man's treasure"

• Give you old items a new lease of life by selling or giving them away. There are many examples of exchange websites where you can give away or sell your unwanted items. These include the Freecycle network, Freegle, Gumtree, Don’t dump that and ebay. There are also various ‘free ads’ websites and local newspapers where you can exchange unwanted items.
  
• Why not try to earn yourself a few pounds by holding a stall at a local car boot or jumble sale and sell your unwanted items? These events are also a great way of finding items you need that someone else would normally throw away.
  
• Be a good Samaritan - take unwanted household items to a charity shop.
  
• Your old furniture can be put to good use by donating it to community re-housing projects, homeless charities and any householders who want to buy second-hand rather than new. So, before you bin that old wardrobe, why not contact a local furniture reuse charity? To find your nearest one check out the ‘In your area’ section of our website.
  
• In the same way that furniture can be reused by community organisations and charities so too can some unwanted electrical items such as washing machines, music systems and television sets. These can be safety tested and refurbished by trained staff and given away or sold on to members of the community. Check out the ‘In your area’ section of our website to see if you have a reuse organisation nearby.
  
• Swap your unwanted items – why not hold a swap party with your friends and family –swap and share your old baby clothes, shoes, sports kit, dresses and school uniforms…. the list is endless!

Style never goes out of fashion

• Take a look through your wardrobe and pass on any items of clothing that you’re never going to wear again.  You can donate good quality, usable clothes and shoes to your local charity shop, take them to a jumble sale or visit your nearest clothes recycling bank. 
  
• There are now a number of boutique sites exclusively devoted to the resale of unwanted designer clothing e.g. http://www.whatsmineisyours.com/ and http://www.bigwardrobe.com/
  
• Buy second-hand clothes – you can find a real gem in your local charity shop  and often pick up some unusual period pieces. Remember, it’s not just your wardrobe you’ll be benefiting if you buy from a charity shop – you will also be doing your bit for a good cause.
  
• Even non-wearable items of clothing can be put to good use as filling materials, wiper cloths or the fibres are reclaimed and respun.