If you’re having a new year, new you clear out then maybe rather than heading to the shops to stock up on fresh purchases, you offload a bit of clutter instead. Many high street stores have their own recycling incentives to help encourage shoppers to reduce their waste.
For many, a discount voucher or money-off coupon hopes to encourage customers to bring back their hard-to-discard-of products, reducing the chances they’ll end up in a landfill. While other stores don’t offer incentives, they do have drop-offs where products that are difficult to recycle, like batteries or electronics, can be recycled responsibly.
A study from the Office for National Statistics last year found that 77% of adults have made some or a lot of changes to their lifestyle to help tackle climate change. Whether you’re among that 77% or you just fancy joining them, here’s a small way to start off.
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Boots
One of the most popular recycling schemes, Boots will offer any customer who returns five empty toiletry or cosmetics containers £5 in Advantage Card points. The small print says that the items must be things that can’t ordinarily be recycled at home, for instance, they’ll accept mascara tubes and toothpaste tubes, but not shampoo bottles or tissue boxes.
Customers must also spend at least £10 in the same transaction to reap the recycling rewards. This could be repurchasing the same item as the one you’re recycling, for example, high-end make-up or salon-brand hair care will easily put you over that spending cap.
Lush
For the beauty and skincare addicts among you, Lush’s recycling scheme has got to be up there with the best. Return five of its iconic black pots in exchange for a face mask worth £10.
If Lush’s other plastic products litter your bathroom shelves - including clear plastic bottles, make-up packaging and spray bottles - then clean these out and let them air dry and return them for 50p off a full-price item in-store, or 5p off for a 10ml sample pot. If you do return these, any credit you collect must be used on the same day.
John Lewis
Take back your empty skincare and make-up products to participating John Lewis stores for £5 off your next beauty purchase. If it’s clothes you’re hoarding, for every five items of pre-loved clothing that can be resold or recycled, John Lewis will give you £5 off a fashion or homeware purchase when you spend £20 or more that same day.
For customers who find their wardrobes overloaded with coat hangers, there’s no incentive for recycling them with John Lewis but it is a great opportunity to declutter your wardrobe. Those after a homeware recycling service, John Lewis can collect and responsibly dispose of your old mattresses and carpets, though this service comes for a fee, and they’ll find a new home for any old sofa when you buy a new one from them.
H&M
Sticking with clothes, H&M will offer £5 off any £25 same-day spend for every bag of unwanted clothes and textiles that you recycle with them. They can be any brand and in any condition.
Schuh
Putting your best foot forward, bringing in an old pair of shoes to Schuh will earn you £5 off any purchase of £25 or more. Shoes do not have to be originally from Schuh, so any tatty trainers count.
Mac Cosmetics
For make-up addicts who regularly shop at Mac, this one is a no-brainer. Return five empty Mac make-up containers in exchange for a free lipstick worth £17.50.
M&S and Oxfam
Under its “shwopping” scheme, bring your unwanted clothes to any Oxfam shop and you can receive a £5 M&S voucher off a £35 spend on clothing, homeware and beauty products. There must be at least one item of M&S labelled clothing or soft furnishings in your donation, excluding sale and clearance items, to quality for the offer.
The Perfume Shop
It’s always sad to get to the end of a perfume bottle and there’s nothing like the feeling of opening a new one. If you’re heading into The Perfume Shop to treat yourself to a new scent, take your old bottles with you.
Return them to the store and staff will give you 10% off your next purchase in-store the same day. Your bottles will be recycled in an environmentally friendly way and The Perfume Shop will donate the cost of planting one tree to the Eden Reforestation Projects.
Superdrug
While there’s no voucher or discount incentive available in Superdrug, their recycling points allow customers to hand over some difficult-to-dispose of products, including batteries and old electronics. The brand is also proud to launch the first medicine packet recycling programme, just bring in any used blister packets from any brand to your nearest store and they’ll ensure they get recycled.
Apple
If you’ve upgraded any of your Apple devices or find an old one in the back of a drawer then take them back to Apple for the chance of a bit of credit towards your next purchase. An iPhone 7 could get you up to £45 while an iPad mini could get you £220 and if your device isn’t eligible for credit, then Apple will recycle it for free.
Primark
Another fashion brand, Primark will recycle your washed old and unwanted clothes via its drop-in boxes. The donations will be recycled or repurposed and all profits will be donated to the store’s charity partner, UNICEF.
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