The Recycle for Cornwall campaign has been developed to raise public awareness of recycling and to provide consumers with a compelling reason to recycle.
Once upon a time... household items were passed around and used until they were broken.
In recent times it has become fashionable to replace items for reasons other than failure, such as technological advances and the trend in home make overs. Sadly this cultural change has also resulted in a dramatic increase in the waste we send to landfill and the rapid depletion of global resources.
The best way to preserve global resources and to save money and energy is to use items again and again. We can all share books, pass on clothes and unwanted goods to others and repair or sell on items we no longer want.
In the next few pages various options for reuse will be highlighted and we hope that you will agree that a little bit of effort to revive reuse will make a big difference to help reduce waste.
The Freecycle network is a not-for-profit organisation, representing a movement of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfill. The Freecycle scheme is a website/email system open to all; whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano or an old door, feel free to list it. Not-for-profit groups are also welcome to participate. Everything listed must be free. It’s a bit like eBay but without money. The instructions to register with your local group are on the website. In Cornwall, so far there are groups based in: • Bude • Falmouth • Hayle & St Ives • Newquay • Penzance • Saltash • St. Austell • Truro • Wadebridge
INTERNET AUCTION SITES (E BAY ETC) Ebay and similar sites have been an amazing success offering people an opportunity to sell unwanted goods from the comfort of their home. If you do not want to donate your unwanted goods try using these sites to sell them.
OTHER IDEAS Local auctions - most towns have their own auction rooms, which are a great way of selling and buying secondhand items.
Toy and book libraries – are a good way to pass on things that children have grown out of and access a wide variety of books and toys to beat the holiday blues and help them learn.
Junk Swaps – get together with your neighbours to swap things around.
Hiring equipment – is a good way to prevent you house or garage getting filled up with expensive things that you rarely use. Consider sharing the hire of large equipment such as garden waste shredders, petrol strimmers, chain saws, hedge cutters and DIY power tools with your neighbours to reduce expense.
Small ads – placing an advert or responding to an advert for secondhand goods makes a significant contribution to the reuse market, local shops, super markets, newspapers, websites at work, club and society notice boards or publications all offer the opportunity to advertise unwanted items locally.
Scrapstore – the Cornwall Scrapstores accept a wide range of materials for reuse. By joining the scrap store you will have the opportunity to reuse an enormous variety of materials
Car boot sales - the “carbootscornwall” website has details of car boot sales around Cornwall if you would like to sell your unwanted goods. Check the local papers for details of those not listed on the website. www.carbootscornwall.co.uk
Reuse centres - there are currently two locations in Cornwall that are open for the sale of Reusable Items. These items have previously been taken to Recycling Centres. The re-usable goods are segregated at Recycling Centres and taken off-site to the Reuse Centres for resale.
