This page introduces our initiatives to help you reduce, reuse and repair.
Reuse appeal
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.
Donate your unwanted or unused toys.
Our annual Toy Gift Appeal is running from 3 to 24 January 2023.
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.
This scheme is delivered in partnership with Forest Recycling Project.
Our annual Laptop Reuse Appeal opens March 2024.
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
Sustainability Day
We are hosting our annual Sustainability Day at Hackney Town Hall, and Hackney Service Centre on Sunday, 2 July, from 11am to 4pm.
This is a low waste, zero single-use plastic event where you can get advice on:
- energy-saving
- sustainable living
You can also check out the sustainable campaigns, initiatives, and organisations working in Hackney.
Join this fun-filled, family-friendly day full of workshops, eateries, stalls, activities, demonstrations and more.
The event is free to attend and open to all.
View map showing Sustainability Day event locations (PDF 823kb).
View the programme for the day (PDF 388kb).
What we offer on the day
On the day our teams will provide information on:
- sustainable living, waste prevention, and circular economy
- food, garden and dry recycling
- air quality across the borough
- energy saving advice
- the Zero Emissions Network
- sustainability and green skills courses
You can also learn more about:
- food waste prevention
- local green campaigns
- how to reduce your plastic waste
- renting affordable household goods
- the environmental harms of tobacco
- energy saving advice for your home
- meat reduction and the 50/50 campaign
- food surplus
At the event, you will have the opportunity to visit our Zero Waste Market and attend repair workshops and demonstrations:
- second-hand clothes, furniture and paint shops with
- discounted items
- clothes swap shop
- furniture upcycling and upcycling showcase
- demonstrations on how to repair your electrical items
- donate your laptop
- free Dr Bike sessions (bicycles repair)
- free clothes upcycling and repair
- donate your reusable laptop
Family-friendly stalls and activities include:
- free eco-friendly face painting
- everything you need to know about reusable nappies
- interactive activities about food waste and compost, including feely boxes with items inside to guess by touching, observing our worms live and making a paper pot and planting a seed in it to take away
Grab some coffee and hot drinks. Coffee and hot drinks are free if you bring your own mug.
There will also be a free fruit giveaway and discounted sweet and savoury pastries.
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.
See Dalston Library of Things.
Reuse and repair pop-up events
- 18 March 2023, 11 am to 3 pm – Woodberry Down Community Primary School, Woodberry Grove, Woodberry Down, N4 1SY
- 17 June 2023, 11 am to 3 pm – Shacklewell Primary School, Shacklewell Row, E8 2EA
- 16 September 2023, 11 am to 3 pm – Grazebrook Primary School, Lordship Rd, N16 0QP
- 25 November 2023, 11 am to 3 pm – Thomas Fairchild School, Forston St, N1 7HA
- 16 March 2024, 11 am to 3 pm – Woodberry Down Community Primary School, Woodberry Grove, Woodberry Down, N4 1SY
Reuse and repair pop-up events allow you to:
- donate items you don’t need
- take items you need
- repair clothes – first come, first serve
- free Dr.Bike session – first come, first serve
- book an electrical item repair
- donate your reusable laptop
We deliver them in partnership with Forest Recycling Project and Hackney Fixers.
You can donate just about anything:
- garden tools, items and plants
- household items and kitchenware
- books and toys
- bikes and accessories
- clothes and textiles
- bric-a-brac, arts and crafts
- small furniture, mirrors and frames
- small electrical items and tools
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.
You can repair:
- electrical items
- bicycles
- textiles
Sign up to our mailing list or follow Greener Hackney on social media:
Clothes and textile reuse banks
Around Hackney, there are 90 clothing banks where you donate clothes to our partnering charities:
You can donate:
- clothes (any kind, all styles)
- shoes (paired)
- accessories (ie bags, scarves, hats etc)
- linen (ie curtains, towels, bed sheets)
You cannot donate:
- no duvets or pillows
- no overly damaged or stained clothes
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.
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.
Book a free clothes home collection
You can post your donations to the British Heart Foundation for free. This could include quality:
- clothing and accessories
- collectables
- tech
- jewellery
Download a Freepost label to print at home or your nearest participating Collect+ store when you drop off your parcel.
Post your quality donations
Map of clothes and textiles reuse banks
Red hangars show clothes banks.
Clothes swap shops
When you attend a clothes swap shop you give us your unwanted clothes and receive a token in return. You use the token to get items.
Hackney Clothes Swap – Earth Day
Date and time: 22 April 2023, 11.30am to 3.30pm
Location: Hackney Bridge, London
Hackney Clothes Swap – Sustainability Day
Date and time: 2 July 2023, 11am to 3.30pm
Location: Hackney Town Hall, London
Hackney Clothes Swap
Date and time: 21 October 2023, 11.30am to 4pm
Location: TBC, London
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.
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
The Seam or The Reclaimery will be on site all day to help with alterations and there’ll be clothes repairs and customisations sessions.
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.
Try reusable nappies for free
Hackney residents can try reusable nappies for free by applying for a £70 voucher.
There is a reusable nappy community that organises events and provides support.
Visit Hackney Real Nappy Network.
Reduce single-use plastics
You can reduce single-use plastic by:
- using a refill water station
- attending a plastic free workshop
- using a zero waste shop
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.
Visit Refill.
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.
Visit Plastic Free Hackney.
Map of zero waste shops
Contact us if your shop accepts refills and you’d like to be listed on our map.
Composting and water butts
We’ve teamed up with GetComposting to offer discounted home compost bins.
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 and inexpensive and compost can be used in gardens and green spaces to improves soil’s condition.
Order a compost bin
If you’re interested in composting at your school, this free guide could help you:
View composting at school guide (PDF 1mb)
We can also advise you on setting up a school composting scheme. Contact us to find out more.
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.
Order a water butt
Page updated on: 15 September 2023