Stamping out waste

Donating your stamps to the charity of your choice can actually raise money for your favourite cause, I've learnt this week! The RSPB's stamp appeal is one of the largest and in 2008 raised over £10,000.

You can send loose stamps; which are sent to a stamp dealer who works with various charities, or stamp albums which are sent to auction houses.

Why not put a collection bin in your local school, church hall or place of work?

Charities which accept them include:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB),
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB),
Oxfam,
Care and Relief for the young (CRY)

What about you? Do you know of any other charities that can help you recycle your stamps?

RSPB

Send loose stamps direct to RSPB (preferably in 2 kilo quantities or above) to
RSPB Stamps,
PO Box 6198,
Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire
LU7 9XT
Send albums or special collections to:
Save the Albatross Stamp Appeal (Special Stamps and Albums),
RSPB,
The Lodge,
Sandy,
Beds,
SG19 2DL.
Alternatively, hand deliver stamps to any of the RSPB nature reserves.

RNIB

Stamps sent to the RNIB are sorted by volunteers, then sold to dealers or collectors.
The RNIB ask that you cut stamps off the envelopes, leaving 1cm of envelope around each stamp. Then sort them into UK or foreign stamps and send to
RNIB Stamp Recycling
PO Box 185
BENFLEET
SS7 9BH

Oxfam

Your used stamps or old stamp collections can be donated to any Oxfam shop.

Oxfam has around 50 specialist stamp departments, run by experienced and knowledgeable volunteers.

Care and Relief for the young

Care and Relief for the young (CRY) is a Christian charity dedicated to caring for disadvantaged, destitute and suffering children, young people and their families.

CRY welcomes all gifts of used postage stamps which are sorted and sold on eBay to raise funds.

Sort your stamps into UK and foreign, trim around the stamp if necessary and send to
CRY Stamps and Collectables,
27 High Street,
Eastleigh,
Southampton,
SO50 5LF

or take in to your local CRY charity shop.

If you’re a stamp collector you can help CRY buy purchasing stamps from them at their online eBay store.