Recycle stamps for charity

Filed in Recycle by on June 18, 2010 24 Comments
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Don't bin your stamps - recycle them to charity instead

Don’t bin your stamps – recycle them to charity instead

It was hearing about the devastating effects of plastic on marine animals and sea birds such as the albatross that kick started our own zero waste journey.

Dying at a rate of around one every five minutes, the albatross family is becoming threatened faster than any other family of birds. Eighteen of the 22 species of albatross are globally threatened with extinction.

RSPB

So what better way for us to put our old stamps to good use than through the RSPB’s “save the albatross” campaign? Their stamp appeal is one of the largest and in 2008 raised over £10,000.

You can send loose stamps; which are sent to a stamp dealer who works with various charities, or stamp albums which are sent to auction houses.

Send loose stamps direct to their dealer (preferably in 2 kilo quantities or above) to
RSPB Stamps,
PO Box 6198,
Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire
LU7 9XT

Send albums or special collections to:
Save the Albatross Stamp Appeal (Special Stamps and Albums),
RSPB,
The Lodge,
Sandy,
Beds,
SG19 2DL.

Alternatively, hand deliver stamps to any of the RSPB nature reserves.

Bone Cancer Research Trust

The Bone Cancer Research Trust collect stamps.

Send them to the following address:

BCRT Stamp Appeal
20 Bowers Road
Benfleet
Essex
SS7 5PZ

Why not put a collection bin in your local school, church hall or place of work?

Oxfam

Oxfam is a global movement of dedicated people fighting poverty. From saving lives and developing projects that put poor people in charge of their lives and livelihoods, to campaigning for change that lasts, Oxfam fights poverty and delivers help to the people who need it most.

Your used stamps or old stamp collections can be donated to any Oxfam shop. Oxfam has around 50 specialist stamp departments,  run by experienced and knowledgeable volunteers. All stamps are carefully valued and priced to help raise funds for their charity work and campaigns.

Manx Wild Bird Aid

Manx Wild Bird Aid collects stamps to raise funds to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned birds.

Find more information about their stamp appeal here.

Care and Relief for the young

Care and Relief for the young (CRY) is a Christian charity dedicated to caring for disadvantaged, destitute and suffering children, young people and their families. CRY aims to rescue and restore young lives broken by poverty, oppression, exclusion and abuse and to provide appropriate opportunities for a better future.

CRY work with street kids, children at risk, children’s homes, education, health promotion, agriculture, HIV/AIDS, day centres, drug rehab, family programmes and support for war orphans across the world.

CRY welcomes all gifts of used postage stamps which are sorted and sold on eBay to raise funds.

Sort your stamps into UK and foreign, trim around the stamp if necessary and send to

CRY Stamps and Collectables,
27 High Street,
Eastleigh,
Southampton,
SO50 5LF

or take in to your local CRY charity shop.

If you’re a stamp collector you can help CRY buy purchasing stamps from them at their online eBay store.

Animal SOS Sri Lanka

Animal SOS Sri Lanka is a UK registered charity who receives £5 per kilo for UK stamps recycled and £19 per kilo for world stamps.

This goes some way to funding their vital work with the stray animals in Sri Lanka. Animal SOS Sri Lanka own a 4-acre plot in south Sri Lanka which is an emergency veterinary clinic to treat sick and injured stray animals and a safe-haven for the vulnerable and abused.

Any funding enables them to save the lives of many otherwise doomed animals, providing high standards of veterinary care including blood screening and postoperative care after sterilisation – which is vital to ensure the survival of the animals.

Denize returned from a two-week trip to the sanctuary in Sri Lanka in March 2012 and had the most amazing experience. She writes “Whilst out there I could see the enormity of the project and how inconsistent volunteer help is. They get their fair share of vets and vet nurses but it’s people like you and me they need out there, whether for a few days or a few weeks.”

Stamps should be sent to:

Kirsty Balch
Animal SOS Sri Lanka
83 St Lukes Road
Southport
PR9 9AJ

“When sending stamps please ensure the correct postage is put on bulky envelopes, as charities cannot afford to pay to retrieve them from the sorting office if insufficient postage is put on“.

What about you? Do you know of any other charities that can help you recycle your stamps?

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About the Author ()

I am a long time supporter of the Green and Sustainable lifestyle. After being caught in the Boscastle floods in 2004, our family begun a journey to respect and promote the importance of Earth's fragile ecosystem, that focussed on reducing waste. Inspired by the beauty and resourcefulness of this wonderful planet, I have published numerous magazine articles on green issues and the author of four books.

Comments (24)

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  1. Sandie says:

    What a great idea……. I have a heap of stamps that I can send off. Thanks for sharing this information.

  2. Julie Day says:

    I do recycle used stamps. I collect them for the Guide Dogs for the Blind and send them on to them when I have a batch. I think I also have the address for the RNIB and occasionally send to them too.

  3. Susi says:

    Hi!
    We send off our stamps to the Orangutan Foundation –

    http://www.orangutan.org.uk/

    the last batch we sent contained over 1000 stamps! We get alot of post it seems!

    🙂
    Susi
    x

  4. Mrs Green says:

    @Sandie: Hi Sandie, you’re welcome. I love sharing the simple things that can make a difference 🙂

    @Julie Day: Great news, Julie! It’s great to share the site with so many people who care.

    @Susi: Hi Susi, how lovely – thank you for sharing this link with us. I’d not come across it before, but I admit to having a bit of a soft spot for these fellas 😉

  5. sarah says:

    we collect used stamps to rasie funds for our rescue dogs

  6. Mrs Green says:

    @sarah: thanks for that Sarah; hopefully some of our readers will send through to you 🙂

  7. The Pit Pony Sanctuary collect stamps, postcards etc for the ponies.

  8. Mrs Green says:

    @Roy J Peckham: Thank you Roy – do you have more details about this please?

  9. Clare says:

    Hi!

    I’m so glad there’s such an interest in recycling stamps to raise vital funds for charities. Just to let you know that Epilepsy Action also collect stamps to sell on to dealers. We accept postage stamps from any country, new, used, rare and everyday first and second class stamps. You can find more information and our address at:

    http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved/recycling/used-stamps

    Thanks in advance 🙂

  10. Mrs Green says:

    @Clare: Hello Clare, welcome to the site and thanks for adding your organisation to our list 🙂

  11. Lara says:

    Just to let you know that I am a volunteer who also saves used stamps for the RNLI. Stamps can be sent to

    RNLI used stamps, c/o 7 Speddwell, Brixham, TQ5 9MJ

  12. Mrs Green says:

    @Lara: That’s great Lara – thanks for sharing the information with us!

  13. The Army Of Angels Charity collect used stamps. The organisation support wounded troops who have served in any of the UK’s conflicts. The charity also support the immediate family members of the injured. For more information and to donate your stamps please visit the Army Of Angels using the following link. http://www.armyofangels.org.uk.
    Registered Charity Number 1143612

  14. Lisa says:

    The National Benevolent Fund for the Aged also collect used stamps. The charity supports older isolated people living in the UK. Send stamps to:

    NBFA
    P.O. Box 6198
    Leighton Buzzard
    Beds
    LU7 9XT

  15. Mrs Green says:

    THanks Steve and Lisa – what a great list we now have!

  16. Mary Morgan says:

    We have a box at the back of our church for stamps which I then take to a charity shop in our town. Someone is putting a very large amount of those Postage paid brown Royal Mail stickers in the box. I am assuming that these are not recyclable for charity and I put them in the ordinary paper recycling having had to sort them out. They are taking the trouble to bring them but I may have to put a tactful note on the box! Can you confirm they cannot help charities?

  17. Mrs Green says:

    @Mary Morgan: I don’t know the answer to that Mary, Why not call a couple of charities from our list and ask them…And keep up the great work with your collection!

  18. Clare says:

    @Mary Morgan: Hi Mary, although it is very kind of the donor to take the time to bring the brown postage paid Royal Mail stickers, you are correct, as a charity we would not be able to convert these items in to funds.

    As you say, a tactful note asking for only Royal Mail Postage Stamps, or saying that prepaid or franking mail postage marks cannot be used to raise funds is a great idea.

    Good luck with your fundraising!

    Clare – Epilepsy Action

  19. Lisa says:

    The National Benevolent Fund for the Aged collect stamps. They work to end isolation and loneliness in older people in the UK – http://www.nbfa.org.uk

    Please send stamps to:

    NBFA
    P.O. Box 6198
    Leighton Buzzard
    Beds
    LU7 9XT

    Thanks

  20. simone Meek says:

    we are collecting stamps on behalf of The Namuli Prossy Foundation. you used stamps can be sent to
    The Namuli Prossy Foundation Stamp Appeal
    c/o Meeks stamps
    40 Meadowbank,
    Kirkwall,
    Orkney,
    KW15 1QJ

  21. Chris Levey says:

    At this time of year just a reminder that you can recycle used postage stamps and help the RNIB at the same time. For more information go to

    http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/fundraising/recycle/Pages/used_stamps.aspx

    Collected stamps should be sent to:
    RNIB Stamp Recycling
    PO Box 185
    BENFLEET
    SS7 9BH

    Thank You

  22. Neil says:

    You can also recycle stamps for the charity of your choice at Citadel Stamps. We pay charities a minimum of £15.00 for every kilo of donated stamps you can send us. The quality of donated stamps does vary and we have even paid as much as £50.00/kilo !

    Please send all donations of used stamps for recycling to:

    ‘Name of charity of your choice’
    PO Box 6107
    Stromness
    KW16 9AB.

    More information here: http://citadelstamps.co.uk/recycle-stamps/

  23. Paige Havlin says:

    Hi there,

    Please could our charity be added to the recycled stamps page:

    Manx Wild Bird Aid collects stamps to raise funds to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned birds. Please find more information about our stamp appeal here: https://www.wildbirdaid.com/donate/stamps/

    Many thanks
    Paige

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