Stationery & Craft items

The First Mile

If you have office supplies in your workplace that are no longer needed, The First Mile will take your pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers, crayons, highlighters, staples & hole-punchers and distribute them to schools in need. You can order a sack from their website and the company will collect them for you.

Recycled working stationery is sent for distribution by School Aid, which supplies educational resources to under-resourced communities in Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania. Broken stationery is sorted for recycling or incinerated to produce Green energy.

School Aid

(not accepting donations at the moment)

School Aid accept pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons, paper, chalk, sharpeners, rubbers, paperclips, paints & paintbrushes, scissors, glue, sticky tape, post-its, rulers, compasses & protractors and solar calculators.

School Aid does offer a limited collection service in the UK. All of their collections are conducted by volunteer drivers so are limited in reach. They ask for a contribution to the fuel cost of the collection based on a standard 45p/mile. If you are in Central London there is additionally the congestion charge and the ultra low emission zone charge. There is a minimum of 20 boxes required to organise a collection.

You can post your donation directly to their warehouse in Buckinghamshire or you can drop off your items at The Entertainer toy shops located around the U.K.

Bic & Terracycle

Bic have teamed up with Terracycle to launch The Writing Instruments Recycling Programme, ensuring all these unwanted pens don't just end up in the bin.

There are currently 445 collection points across the UK where you can drop off your used pens to be recycled, helping to protect the environment. The writing instruments will be cleaned and melted down to remold into new products.

OfficeXpress

OfficeXpress provide a free recycling service for Toner cartridges, ink cartridges, drums, maintenance kits and fuser units. You can arrange a free collection and every cartridge recycled will raise money for Bullying UK, Jeans for Genes and Leeds Children’s Hospital.

Recycle your printer Cartridges at Ryman

All Ryman shops have recycling points for used printer cartridges. In return, you’ll receive 50p off your next cartridge.

Crayola

If you live in the US, Crayola have launched Crayola Color Cycle where collection stations can be set up in your school to collect unwanted pens. Crayola will pay all the shipping charges and recycle them.

Reuseful UK

Reuseful UK helps provide a home for unneeded bits and bobs that might otherwise end up in landfill. The registered charity supports a network of ‘scrap stores’ around the UK where unwanted craft items benefit community groups, charities and sick children.

Some of the items donated are sold on as they can be used by artists, craft groups and other community groups, while others are made into kits, including teddy-bear craft kits made out of old work uniforms.

Another project is the Box of Rainbows Project, where craft boxes packed with buttons, glitter and crafting kits, all from reusable materials, are given to children with life-limiting illnesses.

Schools and local community groups

Nurseries and primary schools often welcome stationery and craft supplies. It’s worth checking with your local Brownies / Guides / Scouts groups too.

Local hospitals, churches and nursing homes may also be in need of craft items but as always, it’s worth calling ahead to check.

Crafting4Good

Crafting4Good will to give a home to any art and craft supplies you no longer need. If they can't use something for their own initiatives and projects, they will share with other groups who can.

You can send your items directing to them and they also offer a service via DropPoint allowing you to send larger packages at special 'not-for-profit' rates.