Reuse

Find a new home for your unwanted household items which may still be of use to someone else.

If you would rather see your items go to a good home instead of being thrown away, there are lots of ways to sell or give away unwanted items you no longer need, including:

Donate to charity or ask family and friends

Always check with those nearest to you first. Asking family and friends if they have a use for things you no longer need is the first step to reuse, whether it is clothes, furniture, books or anything else.

Alternatively, local charities need all types of household items, including clothing, toys, bric-a-brac and larger items of furniture. Smaller reusable items in good condition can be taken to any number of charity shops in North Northamptonshire where funds can be generated for lots of good causes.

There are also several charities locally that can collect larger reusable items, such as:

Other charity providers are available.

Online

Search online for local web or community groups where items can be sold or given away free to North Northamptonshire residents.

You could also list you item for sale on online marketplaces and auction websites.

At no cost

Freegle and Freecycle are both online communities where items can be offered to others to take away for free, or can be used to find things that you are looking for.

Selling and buying

There are lots of online and mobile app sales platforms where you can sell just about anything from furniture to electricals and clothing. eBay, Gumtree, Facebook marketplace, Vinted and Depop are just a few that you may have heard of but there are lots to choose from.

Please be careful when using any online community or marketplace - follow all guidelines and rules to ensure your safety.

Repair café

A repair café is a community initiative that brings people together with the skills to repair and those who want their items repaired. People are invited to bring their broken or damaged items for repair, and volunteers attempt to fix them.

The nearest repair cafes are in Wellingborough and Oundle.

Find out more about repair cafes.

HWRC Reuse

A re-use service can be found at each of the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

If your items are in a good condition and you feel they could be re-used by someone else, please take them to the designated 'reuse drop off area' at the HWRC. The onsite ‘Reuse Agent’ will then assess the items and advise if they are suitable for reuse.

By dropping off or buying items for reuse, you:

stop them going to waste
save the energy needed to recycle them
reduce the natural resources used to create new products

Acceptable items

Most items are welcome if they are in good condition and safe to use.

It is important that:

any electrical items are in working order
upholstered furniture (chairs, sofas and mattresses) must have the appropriate fire safety labels attached

There may also be other restrictions - if you are unsure, please check with the reuse agent on site and they will advise.

Items collected for reuse in North Northamptonshire will be sold at an off-site reuse shop or auction house, allowing people to purchase reusable items in a convenient way and diverting them from landfill through resale.

Reuse outlets

Items collected at the North Northants HWRCs that can be reused are taken to any one of a number of reuse outlets.

There are 3 reuse shops and 2 auction houses in North Northamptonshire, they are operated by independent businesses:

Corby

Recyclemart, Corby Business Centre, Eismann Way, NN17 5ZB
Corby Auctions, 3a Southfolds Road, Corby, NN18 9EU

Kettering

Ace Reuse Ltd, 23 Eskdaill Street, Kettering, NN16 8RA
A43 Auctions, R&R Reclamation, Bypass Farm, Broughton, Kettering, NN14 1NT

Wellingborough

Ace Reuse Ltd, 60 Park Road, Wellingborough, NN8 4QE

Last updated 27 July 2023