One of the easiest ways to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance is by recycling your unwanted clothing and shoes.
Each year, around 300,000 tonnes of clothing in the UK are sent to landfill sites. By recycling your unwanted clothing and shoes, you can help save the planet and help save lives, by raising vital funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Working with our recycling partners, Recycling Solutions, Yorkshire Air Ambulance receives an agreed percentage of the sale of recycled materials. It is as simple as that! Good quality items which can be reused are sold to second-hand clothing traders in the UK and worldwide.

Find your nearest recycling bank HERE

What happens to the items you donate?

The YAA recycling banks are emptied by our recycling partner, Recycling Solutions. They take the clothing to the local hub, where it is baled and then sold to trading partners in the UK and overseas, and YAA receives our percentage of the sale amount.

The trading partners then transport the clothing to a factory to be sorted. Clothing is separated by items and graded from the best quality items, through to items that need to be recycled.

All items that can be re-worn are sent to second-hand shops or markets in Europe, Africa and India. Any items which cannot be re-worn are shredded and recycled into rags, mattress stuffing, or even pellets for punch bags.

All of our sorting partners are working towards zero waste and we only sell into markets where free and fair trade is available.

Our recycling banks are emptied regularly, however, if the recycling bank you visit is full, please do not leave your donations outside the bank. Please try again at a later date. 

Row of red brick houses

Home Collection

We can now offer home collections. If you have clothing and shoes which you would like to donate to help raise vital funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and would like for our recycling partner, Recycling Solutions, to collect them from your home, please fill out the Request a Recycling Collection form HERE to arrange your collection.

Row of red brick houses

A child wearing a black fleece hoodie is reaching to place a bag into a yellow recycling bank. The recycling bank has a graphic on the front with a yellow Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopter on it and the words HELP TO SAVE LIVES ACROSS YORKSHIRE

Can you host a bank?

Do you own or manage land? Do you have space in your car park? Can you spare a small area outside your building? If you could help us with a suitable space to host a bank, we would love to hear from you!

Our standard bank is 5 feet wide, 5 feet deep, and 6 feet high, however, other sizes are also available. If you would like to host a clothing bank for the YAA, please contact Katie Collinson at k.collinson@yaa.org.uk with your name and location, and we will arrange for our recycling partners, Recycling Solutions, to visit your site to assess the space and suitability, and take it from there!

“Yorkshire Air Ambulance have been recycling for over 13 years, reducing landfill and providing affordable clothing to developing countries. In addition, we’ve received over £2.8 million in donations. These donations over the years have saved many lives and our recycling partnership allows us to plan long-term for the charity.”

Katie Collison, Corporate and Partnerships Manager, Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Image of ink cartridges

Ink Cartridge Recycling

Have you ever wondered what to do with your empty printer ink cartridges? Did you know that they can help to raise funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance?

The best bit….it couldn’t be easier. Just head over to Recycle4Charity using this link and follow the easy steps, to arrange to recycle your cartridges.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance will receive £1 for each ‘wanted list‘ cartridge sent to Recycle4Charity using their Freepost bags and collection boxes.

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