BRING IT BACK: YOUR GUIDE TO RECYCLING AT 17&CENTRAL

Walthamstow is pretty good at recycling – just one of many reasons we’re proud to be part of E17!

That’s why we’re working hard to make sure that you can do plenty of recycling right here in 17&Central. Old clothes, empty perfume bottles, dead batteries, recyclable coffee cups, a phone you stopped using two upgrades ago: there is somewhere here for nearly all of it. Several of our retailers will give you money off for the trouble, too.

Here is everything currently on offer, and where to find it.

Traid clothing bank

There’s a Traid donation bank next to Asda. Traid is a charity that takes pre-loved clothing and turns it into funding for projects working to make the fashion industry fairer and far less wasteful.

They take clothes for men, women and children, along with shoes, bags, jewellery, accessories and household linens such as curtains.

What they can’t take is anything damaged or soiled, duvets and pillows, CDs and DVDs, or furniture and bulky items. Their own rule of thumb is a good one: if you would happily gift it to a friend, it’s good to go.

Blister pack recycling

Blister packs are one of those items almost nobody knows what to do with, so they tend to end up in the bin. There is now a collection point for them here in the centre, outside Boots. Bring along your empty medicine blister packs and pop them in!

Book Swap

Opposite Vodafone you’ll find our book swap. Bring a book you’ve finished, take away a new one, and help yourself as often as you like. Donations are always welcome, and a big thank you to The Works, who recently restocked the shelves for us!

Give your clothes a second life

River Island

River Island’s take-back scheme accepts clothes from any brand. Bundle up a minimum of three items, drop them into the take-back box in store, and they’ll send you a £5 voucher to use on your next shop, redeemable against a minimum spend of £40 and valid for a month.

Everything goes to their partner Reskinned, who clean and repair whatever can be worn again and responsibly recycle whatever can’t.

TK Maxx

TK Maxx’s long-running Give up Clothes for Good campaign lets you donate pre-loved quality fashion and homeware in-store. Cancer Research UK then sell the items to raise funds for research into children’s and young people’s cancers – while keeping good clothes in circulation for longer is kinder to the planet at the same time.

Health and beauty

Superdrug

Superdrug has a national blister pack recycling scheme, and you can drop yours off in-store too!

The Perfume Shop

Take an empty perfume bottle into The Perfume Shop and three things happen: they recycle it for you, they plant a tree, and they give you 15% off a purchase in-store the same day. It doesn’t need to be a bottle they sold you, and any (unbroken!) glass perfume bottle counts!

Cups, refills and reusables

Coffee cup recycling

Costa and Pret both recycle cardboard coffee cups. Take your used cup along to either store and a member of staff will deal with it for you – and they take any branded cup, not just their own.

Free water refills

There are refill stations in Boots and Pret where you can top up for free and save on plastic. All you need is a reusable bottle.

Discounts for reusable cups

Pret and Costa all offer money off drinks for customers who bring a reusable cup.

Batteries, phones, and tech

Battery recycling

There’s a battery recycling station in Asda. Take your used batteries along and hand them in while you are doing the weekly shop. Multitasking at its finest.

Save on your upgrade

O2 customers who recycle an old handset in store get money off their next upgrade, so take your existing phone with you when you swap over.

Sell your old electronics

CeX buy old phones, games, tech and films, keeping them out of landfill – and putting a bit of cash back in your pocket.

Spotted something we have missed?

Retailers add new schemes all the time – if there is an initiative we’ve missed, or your store has started something new, do get in touch and we’ll add it!

BRING IT BACK: YOUR GUIDE TO RECYCLING AT 17&CENTRAL