Reduce and reuse

Reduce consumption and reuse things:

  • stop them going to landfill
  • save the energy needed to recycle them
  • reduce the natural resources used to create new products.

For things that are past reusing, please see our recycling guide.

Clothing

Oxfam have a voucher scheme in conjunction with Marks & Spencer. Take a bag of donations to Oxfam and as long as there is an item of M&S clothing in it they can give you a £5 voucher to spend in Marks & Spencer. There are various conditions attached to the voucher. Very handy as they are next door! There are some terms and conditions to the vouchers.

H&M in Jackson Square accept clothing for selling on through the secondhand market, reuse as textiles, or recycling as fibres. They have a voucher scheme giving £5 to use towards your next purchase of £25 or more.

Food

Spare food items can be donated to the Bishop’s Stortford foodbank at the Methodist Church.

Furniture and larger items

St Clare’s Hospice have a donation centre in Raynham Road. They accept a wide range of items for re-sale in their charity shops around the Herts and Essex area, and can also collect larger items by arrangement, but not ‘brown wood’ furniture as this is not easily re-sold. As with any charity shop, furniture and mattresses need to be clean and have appropriate labelling for fire safety. They can also accept fully working small electrical goods and television sets.

The Baptist Church can also take furniture for re-use. They have a warehouse and make things they store available to people setting up home e.g. people helped by the Winter Night Shelter. They do not take electrical goods.


Things change. Please let us know if any of this information could be improved or extended. Contact us