Recycle and get money-off voucher

ANY old iron? That’s the cry from kitchenware company Culinarion as it has launched a charity appeal for old cooking utensils – with donors getting €5 vouchers in return.

It is among a range of companies who are encouraging people to recycle old items by offering bon de reduction money-off vouchers ... so they can go “shwopping” to buy something new.

A regular part of shopping mania in the US, using money-off vouchers is also popular in France and it is estimated that 85% of people regularly use vouchers such as those offered on the back of till rolls and receipts.

Here are just some of the companies offering vouchers or turning recycled items into something new.

* Culinarion’s 27 stores across France will be accepting donations of pots, pans, baking trays, knives etc up until April 18 and will give a €5 voucher for every 1kg handed in. The vouchers can be used up to April 30 for goods from a range of manufacturers in the shops. Items will be given to charity for reuse or resale.
* H&M gives a €5 voucher if you hand in a bag of old clothing. Hand in three items minimum for each voucher that can be used when you spend €30. The clothing will be passed on to charity or reused in industry.
* Sephora will give a 20% reduction on perfume if you take in an old perfume flask or bottle at the same time. It says it recycles 200tonnes of tester bottles each year.

If you see a Canibal machine in a car park you can “feed” it old plastic cups and other items – and perhaps win a money-off voucher or help to plant a tree. The Canibal machines are becoming more widespread and one tonne of plastic cups will make a plastic board that is used in office furniture. France uses four billion plastic cups a year.

And anyone who recycles plastic could also find that it ends up on the back of an international footballer as sports manufacturer Nike has started making international strips, such as those for Brazil, out of recycled plastic fibres.