Reuse

Furniture

Green-Works is a social enterprise working with reused office furniture. Based in Brent in the Park Royal Business Park, they will collect your unwanted furniture and allow you to choose new furniture. They also have a donation programme to help schools in other countries set up and teach in their local communities.

Free paint

Want to paint a mural or brighten up the school grounds with some colourful gloss? Pick up second hand paint for free from Community RePaint at Townmead Road Re-use and Recycling Centre in Kew.

To make an appointment to pick up paint, call 020 8876 3281 or email wasteandrecycling@richmond.gov.uk (including ‘RePaint’ as the subject heading).

Scrapstore

Need free items suitable for art projects? Visit Scrapstore. Stock varies but usually includes fabrics, card, paper and a variety of nick nacks. Visits are by appointment only.

Email scrapstore@richmond.gov.uk or call 08456 122 660.

Join a re-use network

Everyday many items are thrown away and sent to landfill when there could well be someone in your neighbourhood who could find a good use for them. Re-use networks allow you to advertise usable items such as an old TV, a desk or chairs to people in your local community rather than throwing them away. There are many different re-use networks in Richmond upon Thames for you to join.

Useful links

Reuse guides

The West London Waste Authority has a series of reuse guides to give you ideas on how to reuse a wide range of items including bags, CDs and DVDs and electrical items.

Freegle/Freecycle - Freegle is an online group where you can advertise any unwanted items you have to other members of the group simply by emailing them. You can also post ‘Items Wanted’ messages.

Ecomodo - Ecomodo is a free, online marketplace where you can lend and borrow each other’s everyday objects, skills and spaces. Schools can even set up a lending circle for staff and families and even lend between schools.