You can donate many items to charity, such as clothing, books and ornaments. Please contact your local charity shop for more information on what items they can accept.

Donating furniture and other large items, such as washing machines, to charity is a great way to reuse items and help people at the same time. There are a variety of methods to help you donate the items as easily as possible.

These are now available at selected Household Waste Recycling Centres across Staffordshire. Both hard and soft furniture items such as sofas, tables, chairs and beds can be taken to the special containers based at Stone, Cheadle, Biddulph, Leek and Cannock Recycling Centres. Staffordshire based charities The Furniture Mine and Home Comforts collect furniture from the containers and refurbish it before providing it to people in need.

Run by Home Comforts (local charity providing furniture and support for people suffering economic difficulties), this shop is based next to the Rugeley Household Recycling Centre. The shop is open for shoppers or donations every Friday to Tuesday 10am-3pm.

The Staffordshire Furniture Reuse Network are a group of community run ‘not-for-profit’ or charity organisations that specialise in selling hugely discounted second hand furniture to the most in need, mainly low income families, or people setting up home for the first time. The organisation is made up of 5 projects that collect unwanted good quality furniture throughout Staffordshire and Stoke. The type of furniture that they reuse typically include beds, sofas, tables and chairs. Some of the projects also specialise in electrical goods such as washing machines and fridge freezers. Contact your local re-use group using the details in the table below:

Burton-upon-Trent
Burton YMCA Task Force,
24 Borough Rd,
Staffordshire,
DE14 2DA

Tel: 01283-547133
Registered Charity No. 1077798

Cannock
Home Comforts
Unit 1, Ranton Park,
Martindale,
Hawks Green Cannock
Staffordshire
WS11 7XL

Tel: 01543 467555
E:mail: homecomforts@chase-cvs.org.uk
Website: www.homecomforts.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1113065

Lichfield
Michael Lowe’s and Associated Charities Furniture Transfer Scheme
20 St John Street
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS13 6PD

Tel: 01543 262491

Stafford
Stafford Furniture Exchange
1 Sash Street,
Staffordshire,
ST16 2PS

Tel: 01785 606674
E:mail: furnex@btconnect.com
Website: www.thefurnitureexchange.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1099467

Stoke-on-Trent
Furniture Mine
Unit 2, Carlton House Estate,
Registry Street,
Staffordshire,
ST4 1PU

Tel: 01782 846111
E:mail: admin@furnituremine.org.uk
Website: www.furnituremine.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1020523

Top tips from the furniture reuse network

• Reusable furniture only – we undertake cleaning and minor repairs.
• Furniture will need to be inspected before we agree to collect.
• Soft furnishings such as suites, easy chairs and beds must carry a flame retardant label.
• From time to time, our collectors may not be able to accept your items. This is usually because the item may require too much repair work or does not meet current legislation regarding soft furnishings. If this is the case, they will explain the reasons why.
• If we believe the furniture is not suitable for resale, you will be expected to make your own arrangements for disposal through the household recycling centres or bulky waste collection services offered through your council.
• When you donate items you will be helping somebody who is living on very low wages or emergency support.

Have you offered the item to your friends and family? Maybe cousin Sue is looking for a new bed and you need to get rid of a perfectly good bad to make room for your new one? Maybe work colleague Dan needs a new fridge and you need to get rid of a workable fridge as you’re moving to a new house with a built in one? Ask around and get them to collect it, saving you the time, effort and cost of transporting to the tip!

Swap shop websites are becoming more popular; there are many websites which can be used to give away unwanted items, while picking up a few things you do want, all for free!

Visit Freebay at www.freebay.uk.com
Visit Freecycle at www.uk.freecycle.org
Visit Freegle at www.freegle.org.uk
Visit Freegive at www.freegive.co.uk

Why not get rid of your item and make a few quid too? There are a variety of online selling arenas, such as ebay. Advertising in the local paper, or news agent’s window is a good idea, or you could try selling off lots of items in one go at a car boot sale.

This new trend means to turn a battered old item into a stylish new item by revamping it.

• Could you paint the wooden set of draws so they match the new colour scheme in your bedroom, instead of getting rid of them?
• Could you cut the legs of your jeans with the holes in the new, to create a cool pair of shorts?
• Could you use empty glass bottles and jars as alternative vases for flowers?
• Could you collect the beads from that broken necklace to make a new bracelet?

Get creative! Not only does this create bespoke items no one else with have, but it can save you lots of money too.