Reduce
Before thinking about reuse, recycling or disposal options for your tools, have you considered whether they could be repaired?
There are several repair cafes and groups in Suffolk who offer free help to local communities. Please visit the repair cafes page to find out more.
Reuse
Offer items in good condition and full working order to charity shops or through an online reuse network, such as Tools With a Mission,
Tools with a Mission is an Ipswich-based charity that collects donated usable tools, refurbishes them, packs them into trade tools kits, and sends them to African skills training centres. They can accept a wide range of hand tools, power tools, sewing machines, etc. which need refurbishment, but can not accept broken tools that require repairing unless these are mixed in with other useable tools. To donate tools or see the list of wanted tools, go to the TWAM website.
Alternatively offer unwanted items to friends, neighbours or relatives, or "re-gift" unwanted gifts next Christmas.
Sell through a car boot sale, jumble sale or online market.
Recycle
Take any tools beyond repair to any Suffolk Recycling Centre for recycling. Metal hand tools can be recycled in the metals container - electric tools must be placed in the Small Electrical Applicances container.