Monday 22nd – Sunday 28th September 2025
Come and see Climate Action Stokesley and Village’s recycling displays this week in the Globe Library in Stokesley and Discovery Centre Library in Great Ayton.
You can find links and information from the displays below.
Why?
We need to conserve the earth’s limited natural resources, decrease pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, save energy and money, and minimise waste sent to landfills & energy from waste plants.
Powerful ways we can all do this are by reducing, reusing & recycling to protect the planet by lessening our impact on the environment, addressing climate change, and ensuring precious resources are available for future generations.
Kebside Reyclcing
You can now recycle more plastic in your kerbside collection including empty toothpaste tubes as well as trigger cleaning fluid bottles and yoghurt pots in addition to the more usual plastic drinks bottles etc.
You can pick up a leaflet at our displays which tells you what is recycled or find all the information about Bins and Waste on the North Yorkshire Council website – https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-waste.
Non-kerbside Recycling
Soft plastics – plastic films – most supermarkets now have collection points – make sure it pings back, then rinse it out and recycle it.
Blister Packs – Boots and Superdrug (stores with pharmacies).
Milk bottle tops – The Yorkshire Charity Bottle Top Collection is an independent scheme that collects and recycles plastic milk bottle tops to raise funds for life-saving charities, primarily supporting Yorkshire Cancer Research. Locally Rea Funeral Service, Stokesley is a collecting point for your clean plastic tops or you can contact lcoidan@yahoo.com for local collection.
Electrical applicances – Any item with a plug, battery or cable can be reused or recycled – electric toothbrushes, kettles, cameras, clocks – even light bulbs. Most of the materials in them can be made into new products, saving the earth’s resources and saving the planet from dangerous waste. Stokesley Household Waste Recycling Centre (and other North Yorkshire Council run centres) have a collection point where you can take these items for free (if you live locally) or you can look for more specialist recycling here www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk
Reuse
While recycling is good, if possible it is better to keep things in use for longer.
Clothes – bring your clothes to our Clothes Swap on Saturday (27th 1-4pm St Joseph’s Church Hall), donate them to one of the many local charity shops or sell them on sites like eBay or Vinted.
Fabric – come and make a draught excluded at our Repair Cafes in October in Stokesley and November in Swainby, or pick up a free patchwork pack from one of the displays (while stocks last) WikiHow has instructions on how to make your patches and how to create things from patches wikihow.com/Make-Patchwork.
Underwear – Your good quality used bra can be repurposed AND raise funds to fight breast cancer via special bra banks. Locally Mowbray House GP Surgery, Northallerton has a collection box, for other collection points see www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk/recycling/bra-recycling .
Clean, reusable underwear is also being collected locally – email lcoidan@yahoo.com
Prescription Spectacles – Many opticians collect and repurpose glasses, often for vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the UK and overseas. Take your glasses locally to Cooper & Barr Opticians, Stokesley or most Specsavers have a collection container.
Reduce
Packaging – Refilling your existing containers locally saves you money as well as saving resources and preventing waste.
- Refills for laundry liquid, washing up liquid and all surface cleaners at Tindall’s Home Hardware in Stokesley.
- Refills for beauty and cleansing products including hand soap & shower gel at Roots Farmshop, East Rounton as well as refills for cooking oil & frozen goods
- Loose fruit & veg at local farm shops, greengrocers and markets; use paper bags or your own breathable bags which extend the life of fresh food
Repurpose
Children’s Wellies – Swainby Church is collecting unwanted, usuable children’s wellies of all sizes (shapes and colours!) to enable disadvantaged children to have splashy paddling days out. Drop off at the church or email l.coidan@yahoo.com for collection.
Bikes – Unwanted bicycles, even if they are in need of repair, are needed by disadvantaged individuals and groups. You can drop off your bicycles at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre, take them to collection points at Halfords in Stockton, or look for specialist bicycle refurbishment organisations like www.recyke.bike or https://thebikeproject.co.uk
Electronic equipment – Most people can take being able to access the internet etc for granted and easily upgrade electronic equipment – mobile phones, tablets, ebooks, laptops – when they become outdated for our needs. But your unwanted electronic equipment (mobile phones, tablets, ebooks, laptops) are so valuable to those who cannot afford to buy new. Organisations like Furbd in Middlesbrough (furbd.org.uk) will take your unwanted electronic items, securely remove all your personal data then refurbish them to make them affordable and accessible to individuals and groups who would otherwise not have any digital access. The Hub at Hutton Rudby will take your unwanted electronic equipment to Furbd if you are unable or you can also bring them along to the Repair Cafes at Stokesley & Swainby to be repurposed.
Laptops – On 14th of October Microsoft will stop automatic security updates for Windows 10 computers and many people find that their computer is unable to run Windows 11. If you find you are in this position, please don’t just go out and buy a new computer, you have several options which will keep you computer running securely for many years – Microsoft will make updates available if you sign-up to a new scheme, third party software is able to install Windows 11 or computers that don’t quite meet the official Microsoft specification or you can escape the Windows cage and give your computer a new lease of life with Linux. Come to our Repair Cafes to discuss the alternatives and for help, or go to the Monday afternoon computer sessions in the Hub at Hutton Rudy or talk to Stokesley / Great Ayton Library.
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 