Campaign: Promoting Reuse through Charity Shops in the Anglia Region

The Association of Charity Shops in partnership with the Cambridgeshire and Essex Community Reuse and Recycling Networks (CCORRN and ECORRN) is working to deliver a reuse campaign, the first known of its type in the UK.

The campaign (funded by Defra) will run in the Anglia region (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk) over the next 3 years.

Our aim is to build a strong, sustainable 'reuse' campaign adopting shared messages and artwork by charity shops and others, to change consumer behaviour.

Year 1

In its first year the project focused on 500 participating charity shops, representing 40 charities across Anglia. Customers were provided with leaflets highlighting the importance of reuse, and posters with a similar message were displayed in the shops. In Cambridgeshire, the campaign also included adverts on local radio.

Launch events were held in Norwich and Chelmsford in January 2006, which featured a ‘Green Santa’ who collected unwanted Christmas presents and other goods. The Green Santa provided an eye-catching focus for the press and public to engage with the campaign, which aims to:

• Increase donations of good quality items to charity shops
• Raise awareness of items that are unsuitable for donation
• Promote buying from charity shops.

In addition, shop volunteers acted as 'Reuse Champions' to promote the donation of high-quality items, and were rewarded with badges and certificates.

Campaign Archive
1. Here is a summary of activities in Year 1.
2. Summary of activities in Year 2 (2006).
3. Summary of activities in Year 3 (2007).
4. Summary of activities in Year 4 (2008).