Earth Day – April 22 – is an annual event which seeks support for environmental protections, and its organisers firmly believe that progress is built through everyday action, which is something Newlife strives to do in small ways that really count.

Known for saving surplus brand-new stock from hundreds of high street retailers from landfill and extending its lifecycle by selling it across the charity’s nine stores to raise funds to help disabled children, Newlife is launching a new initiative to take things a step further, with clothing bins as part of a Take Back scheme at its Cannock site.

Now people can leave their unwanted clothing in the large bins provided – not to be sold in store, as it sells brand new items, but to be sent away and recycled responsibly for its parts, with the profits raised going to help more children receive the vital everyday equipment they need.

The clothing bins are located outside the Superstore on Hemlock Way so shoppers can leave their worn or unwanted clothing to be sent away and recycled by a trusted Newlife partner, not only creating an income for Newlife, but preventing them from adding to the landfill pile which already sees around 350,000 tonnes of used clothing dumped into it each year.

And, although each donation doesn’t need to be large or heavy, the accumulative effect means that one tonne of clothing weight would result in enough income to provide a specialist buggy for a disabled child, so every pair of jeans, t-shirts, jumper and coats really will make a difference.

The recycling of these garments placed in the Take Back bins will also have an accumulative effect on the environment too. During the period 2024-2025 Newlife sent more than 70 tonnes of items that had been donated by retailers for recycling and fibre recovery – and with the Take Back scheme it is hoped will significantly increase.

During the same period a further 950 tonnes of items sold for reuse across Newlife stores across the country and Newlife’s net carbon savings from donations over the same period was also equivalent to carbon emissions from over 27.3 million road miles by average cars.

Every single donation of clothing adds value to everything Newlife does – and the local community is being urged to dig deep in their wardrobes so Newlife can turn that itchy jumper, worn out coat or all the old clothes than no longer fit into something that will help change a disabled child’s life, allowing the to make the most of every opportunity.

*As an added incentive over the launch week of the Take Back scheme, anyone who brings a bag of unwanted clothing to the Superstore service hatch during its launch week of April 22 – April 29 will receive a voucher for 10 per cent off their next purchase at Newlife Superstore.