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We are in our twelfth year of running our twice-yearly waste reduction event, the Bring and Take, and it is still as popular as it was in the beginning (though in recent times it has been disrupted by Covid!). The idea is simple: Bring genuinely re-usable items, in good, clean condition and Take any items that you have a use for.
By giving items a new lease of life instead of throwing them out, you are reducing your carbon footprint and potentially the amount of stuff going to landfill. By re-using items instead of always buying new items you are reducing the amount of finite natural resources used up and reducing the volume of carbon emissions produced in the manufacturing process. Around 1,000 items are swapped at each of our Bring & Take events. Anything left over is recycled where possible e.g. taken to charity shops, with a small remainder going to landfill.
Your ‘junk’ may be someone else’s treasure!
We’ve had some really interesting items brought in over the years. One of our favourites was the Luke Skywalker life-size cardboard cut-out, which was snapped up in no time! The most popular type of item has proved to be books, followed closely by toys and games.
We have also had some less-than-perfect donations, so please make sure you check the following list about what we can and cannot take.
We accept: clothes and shoes; household linens (eg curtains, bedlinen); books, DVDs and CDs; COMPLETE, BOXED and SEALED toys and games; household items and kitchenware (eg pots, pans, crockery, vases); gardening items (eg small spades, plant pots, baskets); bric a brac (eg ornaments); small electrical items with plugs (which we will test first and only allow through if they pass the safety test). We also accept buggies and children’s bikes, but ask anyone who takes away these items to make sure they are safe before use.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE:
- in a clean, reusable condition
- in a sealed bag or box if made up of multiple components (e.g. toys)
- of a size you can carry away on foot
If you have a large item (e.g. divan, cupboard, something you cannot easily carry alone) to give away, please bring a photo, description and contact details to display at the event.
We can not accept: sharp objects (eg knives and scissors); household paints (children’s painting sets are fine) and other chemicals (eg weedkiller); toys which have lots of components and are not complete and in fully sealed bags or boxes; video cassettes and music cassettes; food (the exception is at our Autumn Bring and Take when we ask growers to bring surplus fresh produce for others to take); cosmetics and toiletries; bicycle and motorcycle helmets; dirty or broken items; underwear (though bras are welcome); cat’s ashes or any remains for that matter (though fossils welcome!); large items which can’t easily be carried away.
This is a community event, primarily for residents of West Oxford – TRADERS ARE NOT WELCOME UNTIL AFTER 12pm.
A community event
Our Bring and Takes are held in West Oxford Community Centre primarily for the residents of West Oxford and form part of our community’s carbon cutting activities. Bring items between 10.30-11.30am only; take items between 10.30am-12.30pm.
The Bring & Takes could not happen without a group of dedicated volunteers, co-ordinated by our committee and lead programme manager, who set up the rooms, put the stuff out, test the electrical items (for which training is provided), clear up and sort the leftover items, take stuff to charity shops and drive the Zipvan to Redbridge. If you are able to offer and hour or two of your time, please chose a slot via our volunteer page.
Wondering what a Bring & Take looks like?
Find out here, in our post about the 2017 Harvest B&T.
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