Over a quarter of a tonne of unwanted household items were donated at Croydon's recent free 'Give and Take' day in Surrey Street.
Organised by the council and their waste contractors, Veolia Environment Services, the event allowed people to get rid of unwanted clutter that others might find useful.
From children's toys and curtain poles to books and stair balustrades, hundreds of items changed hands from the market stalls that had been especially set up for the event.
Give and Take days are designed to ensure that unwanted but usable good don't end up just getting thrown away.
Electrical products were collected by the Homeagain charity so that they could be professionally PAT safety tested before being passed on to their new owners.
The Dr Bike team were on hand to provide a free check-up and basic service on old bicycles that were brought along.
Volunteers from Octopus Community Enterprise were also fundraising on the day and they managed to collect nearly £80 to help local people in need.
The Croydon Old Town Old Portas Town Team also helped support the event by supplying gazebos and lunch for the volunteers.
David Floud, sustainability project manager for Veolia, said: "We were excited to deliver a real community collaboration between everyone from Dr Bike and Croydon Old Town Portas Town Team to Octopus, the local community support charity. We are looking forward to putting on more events in the future!"
Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said: "Although recycling is important it's even better if unwanted things simply get reused by people who need them – this is the most environmentally sensible solution and is the reason we hope to be running more events like this in the future."
Plans are in place to hold the next 'give and take day' in the Autumn, and another next spring.
Organised by the council and their waste contractors, Veolia Environment Services, the event allowed people to get rid of unwanted clutter that others might find useful.
From children's toys and curtain poles to books and stair balustrades, hundreds of items changed hands from the market stalls that had been especially set up for the event.
Give and Take days are designed to ensure that unwanted but usable good don't end up just getting thrown away.
Electrical products were collected by the Homeagain charity so that they could be professionally PAT safety tested before being passed on to their new owners.
The Dr Bike team were on hand to provide a free check-up and basic service on old bicycles that were brought along.
Volunteers from Octopus Community Enterprise were also fundraising on the day and they managed to collect nearly £80 to help local people in need.
The Croydon Old Town Old Portas Town Team also helped support the event by supplying gazebos and lunch for the volunteers.
David Floud, sustainability project manager for Veolia, said: "We were excited to deliver a real community collaboration between everyone from Dr Bike and Croydon Old Town Portas Town Team to Octopus, the local community support charity. We are looking forward to putting on more events in the future!"
Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said: "Although recycling is important it's even better if unwanted things simply get reused by people who need them – this is the most environmentally sensible solution and is the reason we hope to be running more events like this in the future."
Plans are in place to hold the next 'give and take day' in the Autumn, and another next spring.
