WASTE management company Yorwaste has partnered with a local children’s hospice to ask for donations of unwanted toys which otherwise may be thrown away to make way for new ones this Christmas.

The ‘Re-Use Santa’ campaign is aimed at supporting Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People and reducing the amount of toys, particularly plastic toys, which are disposed of.

Yorwaste, which is the largest, local waste management in North Yorkshire, is inviting people to drop off toys at any of the household waste recycling centres it operates - including Skibeden recycling centre, in Harrogate Road.

Yorwaste is also offering to collect toys, which must be in good condition and in full working order, from some of its larger commercial customers, if there is enough volume.

The toys will then be sold at Martin House Hospice Shops across North and West Yorkshire so they can be bought by families who, because of their personal circumstances, simply cannot afford the must-have toys of 2019.

And then Martin House will then use the proceeds from the sale of the toys to pay for experiences for children with life-shortening conditions.

Sandy Boyle, chief executive of Yorwaste, said: “Every Christmas there are best-selling toys which parents worry if Santa Claus will be able to get for their children, but he always seems to come up with the goods.

“However, these toys very soon can sit un-played and unloved somewhere in a box or an attic, mirroring the script of Toy Story the Movie.

“Seeing toys which were so hard to get now gathering dust makes Santa very sad, but thankfully he has come up with a plan which will not only free up space in people’s homes for Christmas 2019, but also put lots of smiles on young faces this festive season.

“We are asking for donations of any unwanted toys and, through Martin House Hospice shops, we’ll make sure they will find a new home where they will be loved and played with again.

“And because the toys are being re-used, by donating them you will be helping the environment because we won’t need to worry about recycling or disposing of them.”

Stephanie Rimmington, head of retail at Martin House, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Yorwaste for their support. We always need good quality used toys to sell in our shops, so this will make a big difference to us.”

More information on Martin House Hospice can be found at https://www.martinhouse.org.uk/

Find recycling centres at:

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/household-waste-recycling-centres