Reusing Stuff

  • Bring & Take March 2013Twice a year, on a Saturday in March and October, we organise a "Bring & Take" in the Memorial Hall in Charlbury where you can bring along things you don't want and take away anything you fancy FOR FREE!! Leftover stuff is given to local charity shops, suitable clothes are selected for refugees, bras for Oxfam's Big Bra Hunt, and spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas.  Left over tools and sewing machines are given to  Tools For Self Reliance - locally, John Lanyon is registered as a collector for this charity. Left over paint can be taken to Orinoco in Headington.
  • 07/09/18 - Oxfam opens 'superstore' charity shop in Oxford An Oxfam "superstore" has opened it doors in Oxford - the city where the charity opened its first shop.Oxfam said it worked with a Swedish charity ahead of the launch of store, which is based on an "out-of-town format".The 18,500 sq ft (1,718 sq m) store has a drive-through option for people to drop off donations.
  • 20/06/18 - Money Box Live: Cash from Clutter (30 mins) Unwanted jewellery, unfashionable clothes or outdated mobile 'phones. Many of us can't bear to throw them out, yet they're filling up our homes, when they could be turned into cash instead. So how to make a mint from things you no longer want or need? Louise Cooper and a panel of experts offer advice on how to sort the wheat from the chaff.

  • 15/03/18 - Can we fix it? The repair cafes waging war on throwaway cultureWhen fixing items is actively discouraged by manufacturers, recycling becomes a political act, say Repair Cafe volunteers

  • Use Freegle and  Freecycle to give things away, there are several that cover this area: Chipping Norton, Cirencester, Oxford, Witney and Banbury. If you want something, have a look there first but you have to respond immediately if you see something you want - or put up a wanted message, you'll be surprised by the rapid response.
  • The British Heart Foundation  is the biggest second-hand furniture and electrical retailer in the UK, with over 153 dedicated furniture and electrical stores. They have a furniture and electrical store at 10-13 Broad Street, Banbury OX16 5BN  so if you want some good second-hand furniture or electrical equipment, then pop along to see what they have for sale. They also need a supply of donated good quality furniture, beds, TVs, DVDs, washing machines, fridges, dishwashers, etc so that they can sell them on. Call 0844 417 0524 or book online  for a free collection. Please note that there are some items they can't accept for safety or legal reasons  or if the condition is not saleable - the van driver will decide.
  • Furniture can be used by others, the Emmaus Oxford need furniture to distribute to people on benefits and low incomes. Although furniture can be collected from you, it is preferable to take it to them when it is open, so you need to contact them to arrange when.
  • Buy clothes at charity shops, or go to Refashion events like at Oxford and Witney.

  • Oxfam Gift Aid TagTake clothes and bric-a-brac to local charity shops. There are several in Witney and Chipping Norton. Some charity shops (Oxfam and many others) are organised to sign you up for Gift Aid and then track the sale of your items and reclaim the income tax on the value of the sale - this is a marvellous money earner for the charity and is no bother to you.

  • Go shwopping  and fight poverty with Oxfam and M&S. Oxfam and M&S have teamed up to launch shwopping, a new idea that makes it even easier to give your unwanted clothes a second life. It will also help raise an extra £2m to fight poverty over the next year alone. 
    • Bring in your unwanted M&S clothes and receive £5 off a £35 spend on clothing, home and beauty products in M&S stores and online.
    • Next time you pop into M&S, put any item of clothing you no longer wear (even if it's not from M&S)  into one of the 'shwop drops' located in all stores.

  • Re-use items such as bottles, jars, shoeboxes, etc. for storage purposes, but don't be tempted to hoard them, if you aren't using them then they are best recycled instead.

  • Consider using salvaged and reclaimed materials such as wood and bricks when doing any building work or DIY projects. George Marshall's Yellow House in Oxford is an inspiration for reusing materials and creating a very environmentally friendly home.

  • Recycled timber can be bought from Oxford Wood Recycling Unit 46a Milton Park, Abingdon.
  • Go to Orinoco   in Headington if you want stuff for for making things - it's like an Alladin's cave, they have things you never knew you wanted.
  • Crisp packets can't be recycled - so you could stop eating them in protest - or make things out of them like Christmas decorations, gift bags or shrink them in the oven to make into badges, keyrings, etc.
  • Reusable gift bagsUse material bags to wrap presents in, either bags that the recipient can reuse or make permanent present bags in a range of sizes which you can reuse each year in your own family. These bags were mostly made from offcuts of gorgeous materials bought from Anna Belinda in Oxford, but also scarves following the Japanese tradition of tsutsumi.