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The old toys getting a new lease of life this Christmas

BBC A woman with shoulder length dark brown hair smiles towards the camera. She is wearing a dark pink long sleeve top and a light brown patterned scarf with a yellow and silver high visibility vest on top. She is holding a light brown stuffed hobby horse. The background is blurred but there are piles of donated toys inside a grey shipping container. BBC
Lynsey Daly from Antrim and Newtownabbey Council says they are taking toys that would normally end up in landfill

Christmas is the season of giving, with millions of toys bought every year, but with millions of toys ending up in landfills, some organisations are offering an alternative to buying new.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council (ANBC) has been collecting unwanted toys—new and old—to donate to a local charity.

In 2023, the council says about 8,000 toys were donated, which helped more than 600 families reduce the overall cost of Christmas and diverted an estimated 7.5 tonnes from landfills.

Habitat for Humanity works with the council to distribute the toys throughout their ReStore charity shops across Northern Ireland as well as a number of pop-ups in the council area.

Cost of living crisis

A woman with chin length light brown hair smiles toward the camera. She is wearing a navy blue fleece jacket and a yellow and silver hi visibility vest on top. She is holding up a toy plastic hoover. The background is blurred, but there are piles of donated toys out of focus.
Isobel Kerr says they are trying to make Christmas affordable for low income families

Isobel Kerr, who works with the charity, has noticed the demand for more affordable toys increasing each year.

"With the cost of living crisis, it's really impacted on people's disposable income and what they can actually afford to spend on toys at Christmas," she said.

"This is a great opportunity to be able to help those in low incomes have a happy Christmas."

Ms Pintea with shoulder length brown hair, she is wearing an orange hoodie as she smiles at the camera.
Alexandra Pintea said there are often queues of people waiting for Muckamore Parish Development Association's Christmas pop-up shop to open

Alexandra Pintea from the Muckamore Parish Development Association sees firsthand how many people in the area need the help.

She said there are often queues of people waiting for the organisation’s annual Christmas pop-up shop to open at the local community centre.

"This makes a big difference," she said, because people need to "make sure they have food, electricity, and heat, so some of them don't even think of a Christmas list".

The restore shops mean people "don't have to stretch their budget" and can buy toys they thought they wouldn't be able to afford.

A bald man looks into the camera smiling, he's wearing a navy blue jumper with a bright blue polo neck top below it. He is standing behind a black bike. Behind him a number of silver-coloured tools are on the wall.
Gerard Hughes says getting a pre-owned bike isn't just about saving money

At Cycle Recycle, a social enterprise in Newry, director Gerard Hughes said: "It's not just about the money; it's about making sure this bicycle doesn't go into landfill as well.”

There are currently several hundred unwanted bikes in their warehouse; some have been donated, but others were passed on from Newry, Mourne, and Down District Council amenity sites.

He explains how it works: you pick a bike, pay a nominal price, and then a qualified mechanic checks it over.

"We will fully service and recondition that bike to make sure it's safe," he said.

December can often be the quietest time of year for the organisation, but come January trade picks up with people donating old bikes after Santa brings a brand new set of wheels for Christmas.

Hundreds of bikes are lined up in a warehouse of all different colours and sizes. A number are also hung on the wall at the back of the room.
There is a huge variety of bikes on offer at Cycle Recycle in Newry