You Can Now Get Paid To Recycle At Your Favourite Stores

While doing our best to protect the planet is at the forefront of more and more minds nowadays, there’s no getting away from the fact that making the ethical choice can often come with a hefty price tag.

So what if you could do your bit to help the environment and earn yourself a bit of money in the process?

Well, you can - and it’s really not that much effort - in fact in most cases you’ll be doing yourself a favour as well - as some of your favourite retailers now offer initiatives that pay you to recycle.

So whether you’re having a bit of a clear out, or heading into town to a bit of shopping, it’s worth checking if you’ve got anything to take back - and which stores are participating in recycling initiatives that could get you paid!

Which shops will pay me to recycle?

1. Boots

You can bag yourself a voucher for 500 additional Boots Advantage Card points just by recycling five empty toiletry or cosmetic containers at a Boots location that participates in the programme. These points are worth £5 when you next spend £10 at Boots.

You can also use the scheme to recycle items which your home recycling won’t take - like mascara and lipstick, meaning fewer things ending up in landfill.

Don’t forget that TOTUM members can also get 10% discount every time you shop at Boots and we’ve recently worked out how you can save and earn over £130 a year at Boots using a combination of TOTUM discounts and TOTUM Cashback.

Find out how here.

2. H&M

Did you know that if you have unwanted clothes or home textiles, regardless of their condition, you can take them into H&M and get £5 off a £25 voucher.

H&M says it does three things with the items they get handed in:

• Rewear - if the clothes you donate can be worn again, they will be sold as second-hand clothes.

• Reuse - old clothes and textiles that can’t be reworn but can be used are turned into other products, including cleaning cloths.

• Recycle - everything else is broken down into textile fibres to be used for things like insulation, carpets, mattress stuffing and acoustic screens.

3. John Lewis

Who doesn’t love a boujee trip to John Lewis? Well, you can feel good about splashing out on your next visit as the department store now offers £5 to spend on beauty products in John Lewis when you recycle five empty make-up and skincare containers of any brand!

And don’t forget that with TOTUM Cashback you earn 5% cash back when you use it either in-store or online at John Lewis.

Apply for TOTUM Cashback here

4. Lush

There are actually two different recycling schemes available at Lush.

The first one allows you to exchange five of their empty (make sure they’re clean and dry) black recyclable pots - or any full-size plastic packaging - for a free fresh face mask, which would usually set you back about £10.

Alternatively, you can take any empty individual qualifying Lush packaging to a store and get 50p off a full-price item in-store for each full-size item you recycle.

If you are going to use the money off, just remember that you need to do it on the same day you bring in your empties!

What can I recycle at Lush?

• PET clear plastic bottles (with lids)

• PP pots clear and black (with lids)

• PP make-up packaging

• HDPE bottles (with trigger/spray tops)

What can I not recycle at Lush?

• Non-Lush packaging

• Bottle topsNon-plastic packaging such as a jar or tin

5. Schuh

Schuh works in partnership with Recyclatex as part of their ongoing commitment to operate sustainably. Recycle any pair of shoes at Schuh to get a voucher for £5 off when you next spend £25.

Check out our Schuh discounts!

6. Marks & Spencer (via Oxfam)

Since the partnership began in 2008, over 35 million garments have been donated in M&S and Oxfam Shops, worth an estimated £23 million for Oxfam.

If you take your unwanted clothes into Oxfam, as long as your donation contains at least one item of M&S labelled clothing or M&S soft furnishings (excludes sale and clearance items) you’ll receive a £5 M&S voucher off a £35 spend on clothing, home and beauty products in M&S stores!

And don’t forget, TOTUM Cashback members get 3% cashback when you spend at M&S!

Get Cashback at M&S