Give by recycling

Recycling helps protect our planet and environment. It is also a great way of raising money for Make-A-Wish to grant more magical wishes. 

We have built key partnerships with companies that specialise in turning your unwanted goods into cash for Make-A-Wish. These include specialists in clothes, mobile phone and printer cartridge recycling, cars and gold & jewellery. We have also recently teamed up with a company that will enable you to offset your carbon footprint whilst raising money for Make-A-Wish at the same time!

Recycle your unwanted clothes for charity            

Every year, the British public throws an estimated 63% of their clothes into landfill – taking up precious land and emitting damaging greenhouse gases as they degrade.

We have worked with Clothes Aid, a leading clothes recycling firm, since 2007. So far, their doorstep collections have helped to fund over 200 wishes.

Follow this link to watch a video and see Karen England, our Director of Fundraising, explain the importance of Clothes Aid to Make-A-Wish's overall fundraising effort...

Clothes Aid turns your clothes into cash for charity by selling them on to nearby European countries, where there is a high demand for British high-street fashion.

As an added benefit, after transport, Clothes Aid estimates that around 530,000 tonnes of CO2 can be saved each year by recycling clothes in this way.

Clothes Aid can now also recycle books, DVDs, CDs and computer games.

For more information about Clothes Aid and collection dates in your area, please visit www.clothesaid.co.uk, and if you have a query about the work done on behalf of Make-A-Wish, please ring the dedicated helpline number: 08450 722780.

Recycle your old mobile phone and printer cartridges      

Over 65 million printer cartridges are sold each year in the UK alone and only an estimated 15% are recycled or reused.

15 million mobile phones are upgraded in the UK each year and around 90 million old mobile phones lie unused in the UK.

Through leading specialist The Recycling Factory (www.therecyclingfactory.com), we can recycle your printer (including toner) cartridges and mobile phones and turn them into a valuable donation which will help us to grant more magical wishes. 

If you would like to recycle your empty inkjet and toner cartridges or mobile phone in aid of Make-A-Wish, simply request a freepost envelope by calling The Recycling Factory team on 0800 091 0696, or complete a short form by visiting their website at www.therecyclingfactory.com/makeawish.

Gold & jewellery                                                     

You can donate any of your unwanted gold or jewellery by asking Your Gold2Cash to value and convert the items into a cash donation paid directly to Make-A-Wish. Items that you can donate include gold coins, earrings, cufflinks, bracelets, coins, charms etc. This valuation is provided free and without obligation on your part. If you are unhappy with the quote provided then the items will be promptly and safely returned to you free of charge.

To proceed, visit the Your Gold2Cash website charity page and request your free Make-A-Wish charity gold pack. You can then send your items using a free Royal Mail Special Delivery Service which includes free insurance up to the value of £500.

Or, for more information please call Make-A-Wish on 01276 40 50 80.

Cars                                                                           

Do you have an old car that you need to get rid of? If so, why not recycle it through Charity Car and donate 100% of the car’s value to Make-A-Wish?

When you donate your old car through Charity Car, they will seek to maximise its value by directing it down the most appropriate route. This means your old car could be sold to someone who may make any necessary repairs before getting some more use out of it, or if it's beyond repair, it will be taken off the road and used for spares.

Charity Car is the new scheme from the UK's largest car recycling network – Cartakeback.com.

To find out more, and to arrange for your car to be recycled in aid of Make-A-Wish, please visit charitycar.

Offset your carbon footprint                                      

We are delighted to be working with leading carbon credit trading specialists Carbon Neutral Investments Ltd. They have designed a special calculator for Make-A-Wish which will enable you to calculate and offset your carbon footprint whilst also making a donation to Make-A-Wish.

In today’s world, just about everything we do generates greenhouse emissions – travel to work, using a computer, taking a holiday. Traded carbon credits help reduce the planet’s carbon emissions by building renewable energy plants, funding forestation, and other projects.

Use the calculator below to calculate the carbon emissions from your private motoring, household bills, even the last holiday flight you took. You can offset every tonne of CO2 for the cost of £5. Each tonne will generate a donation of 50p to Make-A-Wish.

You will also receive an acknowledgement and certificate from CNI to show that you have done your bit to help the planet.

Carbon Neutral Investments (CNI) is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) (FSA Number 403428). CNI is also a member of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and of Caisse de Dépôt et Consignments (CDC) Carbon Registry. For further information about CNI and verified carbon credits (VCR) please visit their website.