What to do with buttons?
There’s nothing worse than finding you’ve lost a button from your favourite shirt so it’s always handy to have a stash of them around for emergency repairs.
But, as if by magic, they do seem to duplicate and you might find yourself with more buttons than empty buttonholes.
Household recycling collections
As buttons tend to be very small and made from a variety of materials they can’t be recycled alongside your household waste.
Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)
Unless they came attached to your shirt or trousers then household waste recycling centres are a no go for buttons. General textiles, buttons ‘n all, can be recycled at textile recycling points.
Other recycling collections
Ask at your local playgroups, nurseries or schools as they might like them for art and craft sessions. Some charity shops have a basket of buttons in varying shapes, sizes and colours for people to buy but always check with your local store before taking donations along.
Find your nearest recycling point
What can you do?
Personalise your clothes or bags by decorating them with buttons of assorted sizes and colours
String them to make colourful necklaces, bracelets and brooches
Design your own patterns and stick to picture frames or pots
Use as counters in any games with missing pieces
Recycling is constantly evolving and changing so check back for updates or try our recycling locator to find out what you can recycle at home and where you can recycle or pass on unwanted items in your local area.
