Hackney Libraries and the Sustainability team are working together to provide extra support for residents this winter. See below details on how you can help.
Toy gift appeal
Donate your unwanted or unused toys.
Our annual Toy Gift Appeal runs from 3 January to 24 January 2024.
We give the donated toys to charitable organisations and educational centres, for children across the borough.
You can donate toys in good or excellent condition including:
books and other educational materials
jigsaw puzzles and puzzles
board games
balls
unopened paints and pens
suitable electronic and electric play items
suitable baby play items
bikes, scooters, and skateboards
teddies and soft toys
costumes (but not regular clothes)
All toys must be clean and in a reusable condition. Costumes must be clean, wearable and undamaged.
We are collecting warm donated coats so we can give them to residents in need. Visit one of our libraries to pick up a warm coat or to donate a warm coat. All jackets, children’s coats, gloves and scarves are welcome, as long as they are clean and in a reusable condition.
Locations where you can donate toys and coats
You can donate at the following locations:
Stoke Newington Library, 182 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0JL
Dalston CLR James Library, Dalston Square, E8 3BQ
Stamford Hill Library, Portland Avenue, N16 6SB
Clapton Library, Northwold Road, E5 8RA
Shoreditch Library, 80 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP
Homerton Library, Homerton High Street, E9 6AS
Hackney Central Library, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Services to help you reuse, share or trade items
Help us move to a circular economy by reusing, sharing or trading items you no longer want or need. These acts of reuse help our community and reduce waste.
Below is a list of services where items such as furniture, small appliances and other household items can be reused:
Ferris is the Zero Waste App for giving and getting once-loved items for free. You can declutter your home, save great stuff from disposal and pick up items from your neighbour for free. Ferris is available on the App Store and Google Play Store.
TipTapp is a company that helps you move items in and out of your home, get rid of things and get giveaways delivered to your doorstep. Tiptapp is also available on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Reuse swapping sites such as Freecycle or Freegle allows you to give items away and also seek unwanted goods in your local area.
LoveJunk is a waste removal marketplace which helps you to find the cheapest collector for bulky waste. You can also get preloved items like furniture, appliances, mattresses and building materials for free.
British Heart Foundation (BHF) allows you to donate your unwanted furniture, homeware and electrical items using their free collection service.
OLIO is an app which allows you to give away food and other household items to your neighbours, all for free. Olio is also available on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Mindful Shopper is your guide to living with less waste. This guide will help you make planet-friendly decisions about what to buy, who to buy it from, and whether you actually need to buy it at all.
Dalston library of things
Dalston Library of Things is a social enterprise that helps people save money and reduce waste by affordably renting out useful items like drills, sound systems and sewing machines from local spaces – and by helping neighbours share practical skills.
VHS tapes, CDs and DVDs, large furniture including mattresses and white goods won’t be accepted. All small electrical goods will be safety tested on the day.
Clothes and accessories and shoes must be clean, wearable and undamaged.
Repairable items
You can repair:
electrical items
bicycles
textiles
Future events
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Clothes and textiles in good condition will be donated and sold for re-use in charity shops.
Items that aren’t suitable for donations can be recycled and made into new items, such as padding for chairs and car seats or industrial blankets.
This means your unloved clothes will have a second chance in a new home.
Book a free collection of unwanted clothes direct from your door
Our partner charity, TRAID, offers a free home collection service for unwanted clothes. You might choose this option if you’ve recently had a clear out or have a large number of unwanted clothes to donate. Your home collection will be scheduled for a time to suit you.
Rolling drop and swap – you will be able to drop and swap all day, so from 11am to 3.30pm you can drop and swap your items.
Once you give us your clothes we will categorise them and give you tokens in return.
Browse the rails and use your token currency to exchange for new preloved items.
You can only swap if you have dropped items during the drop period.
Accepted items
Anything you once valued or will be valued by someone else. If you’d give it to a friend, you can bring it?
women’s, men’s, and children’s clothes, accessories, and footwear
clean and good quality
free of faults or minor repairs
no underwear or swimwear
we can refuse any items
Do not bring more than 5 items.
Items are assessed and categorised based on recommended retail price (RRP) and condition. This will dictate how many tokens you can swap:
1 x token – preloved under £50 RRP
2 x token – preloved over £50 RRP and in great condition
Alterations at clothes swap shops
The Seam or The Reclaimery will be on site all day to help with alterations and there’ll be clothes repairs and customisations sessions.
Fashion rental sign-up station
Learn more about the sharing economy, how you can make money from what you already have, and how to reduce your impact on the planet. Join Loanhood for one-to-one guidance.
Eat more sustainably
We’re proud to be part of Eat Like a Londoner, a first of its kind food platform for Londoners. It pulls together the very best recipes, hacks, tips and tricks to deliver a weekly dose of inspiration that will help you save money, eat better and help the planet.
With over 90 Refill stations in Hackney, refilling your water bottle for free has never been easier. Simply download the app, find your local Refill station and get fresh drinking water on the go. Save money, stay hydrated and prevent plastic pollution at the source by using the free Refill app, or look for the Refill droplet in shop windows.
We’ve teamed up with Plastic Free Hackney to run sessions targeting residents on a low income to help them ditch single-use plastic products and make their own low-cost and plastic free cleaning and toiletries products.
Contact us if your shop accepts refills and you’d like to be listed on our map.
Composting and water butts
Home composting
Composting is a natural process that transforms waste from your kitchen and garden into a nutrient-rich food product for your garden. It’s easy, inexpensive and compost can be used in gardens and green spaces to improve soil conditions.
School composting
If you’re interested in composting at your school, this free guide could help you:
We can also advise you on setting up a school composting scheme. Contact us to find out more.
Water butts
Around 85,000 litres of rain falls on the average house roof every year. Collect it in a water butt and you can have your own mini reservoir for watering your garden.