Reduce, reuse and repair

We are collecting warm coats to give to residents in need. Visit one of our libraries to pick up a warm coat or donate a warm coat for someone who needs one.

All jackets, children’s coats, gloves and scarves are welcome. They need to be in a clean and reusable condition.

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.

If you have an unused laptop that still works consider donating it to a local school or community project.

This scheme is delivered in partnership with Hackney Fixers.

Register your laptop donation

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

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.

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:

• email recycling@hackney.gov.uk
• Greener Hackney on Facebook
• Greener Hackney on Twitter

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

Hackney Clothes Swap – Sustainability Day 

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.

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.

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