A PETERLEE-based clothes recycling business has helped schools raise hundreds of thousands of pounds, along with aiding them in boosting their green credentials.
And now Fundraise & Recycle, at North West Industrial Estate, is on a mission to grow its base of more than 500 schools with plans to roll out its unique concept nationally.
The company was set up by husband and wife team, David and Sarah Kristopaitis, who, pre-Covid, ran clothing banks.
During the pandemic the pair started to think of new ways to run their business and at the same time be able to support schools and good causes.
“Schools struggle to pay for extras and we wanted to find a way to help them raise money which they could use,” said David.
Their idea was to create brightly coloured and eye-catching clothes collection boxes – which also offer businesses the opportunity to advertise on the side to create additional revenue – where people could deposit unwanted items.
Once the bins are full Fundraise & Recycle collect the clothes and the school is paid for the items – and can then start to collect all over again.
David and Sarah have also come up with a huge number of ways to support the schools, including incentives for them reaching certain collection levels which include everything from planting apple trees to installing “buddy benches” so that lonely pupils can make new friends.
“We wanted to find ways to get as many people as possible involved,” said David.
“And we also put on treats for the schools, such as sending an ice cream van to them on the last day of term.”
The scheme has snowballed with 535 schools now taking part from across the North East as well as in Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
As well as the benefit to the schools, the fact that the clothes are recycled and reused means nothing goes to landfill – and even those that can’t be worn again don’t get wasted.
“Most of the clothes go to countries like Poland or other parts of Eastern Europe where charity shops are privately owned so the clothes are resold,” said David.
Some of the items even go as far afield as Dubai and Pakistan, where there is a huge market for secondhand shoes.
Items that aren’t fit to be worn are cut up on a special machine and then compressed into blocks, which are then sold to companies who need rags.
“Absolutely nothing goes to waste,” said David.
As the company grows, it continues to create jobs and currently has 15 full time staff plus eight self-employed workers.
To date Fundraise & Recycle has given £250,000 to schools which are part of the scheme – a figure which continues to grow.
“It’s such an easy way to help schools and community organisations make money to help them and at the same time support the environment,” he said.
For further information visit www.fundraiserecyle.co.uk
