By the Bronxville Green Committee

April 28, 2025: During Earth Month we’re running a series of articles focused on creating a Waste Free Bronxville! Waste free is about avoiding or redirecting potential waste so that much less must go in the trash. It’s about REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE – and that order matters!

In this fourth article, we’ll talk about “REUSE” – how to use items again, buy second hand, and donate. Reuse can apply to almost anything in our lives. From clothing, appliances, toys, and medical equipment to furniture and books, the list goes on. Start to think about what you buy new; next time that item breaks or becomes unusable, instead of buying new again, consider getting it repaired or replacing it with a used version. As many people in town already do, you can take the extra step and donate used items to the right organizations for proper reuse.

Here are some resources for REUSE. These organizations are making a direct positive impact on our local communities. Please make sure to call or check their website for items accepted and hours for drop-off or pickup.

Sustainability leaders in our very own Village business district:

-Eco Green Cleaners: For a one-time fee of $8 you can purchase a reuseable laundry bag for either drop-off or pick-up of your garments and a matching garment bag that your clothes will be returned in. This service eliminates all those thin plastic clothing bags from the waste stream! Also, most dry cleaners take back wire hangers for reuse.

-Soccer & Rugby Store: Drop off your used soccer cleats, jerseys/uniforms and gear at the collection bin by the front door. Items will be donated to the youth soccer program run by the Foundation for Education in Honduras.

-Fleet Feet: Drop off sneakers for recycling at the collection bin in the store.

-La Gravinese Jewelers: Long-time Bronxville jewelers will take back their jewelry boxes for reuse if you no longer need them. The boxes are beautiful and should not end up in the trash after the gift is opened!

-Trapp Optical: Return unused contact lenses in their blister packs. You can also drop off open blister packs WITHOUT the used contacts.

-ACME: Drop your film plastic bags, wraps and packaging for recycling in the bin outside the store exit.

-Slave to the Grind & OVDER (formerly Booskerdoo): Our favorite coffee shops allow you to bring your own mug to fill up with Joe!

-Irena’s List: Run by a Bronxville resident volunteer, our very own listserv allows residents to post items needed or sought through resident-only email distribution. Contact Irena Stern at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to join the list.

Other Local Resources:

Ten percent of all money spent on apparel around the world is spent on secondhand clothing!

Women’s Clothing & Accessories Consignment Shops:

Second Edition, Scarsdale

Maizie Consignment, Scarsdale

Trilogy Consignment, Tarrytown

The RealReal Boutique, Greenwich

The Cottage, Pound Ridge

Penny Pincher, Bedford

Honor & Blume, Nyack

Children’s Clothing, Toys & Gear:

Once Upon a Child in Scarsdale (donate and buy)

Bundles of Joy (donate)

Children’s Clothing ONLY:

The Sharing Shelf (donate)

Furniture, Homewares, Home Accessories:

Habitat for Humanity Restore (donate), also accepts building supplies

Furniture Sharehouse (donate)

Books:

Bronxville Public Library donate ten books at a time in good condition; check calendar for collection days.

Bronxville Book Bin donate unlimited number of books (all types) for a third party to resell and donate to literacy programs, recycle when necessary. Bins are behind Village Hall.

Pick Up Services:

Helpsy has Saturday textile pick up service in Bronxville (3 bag minimum)! Helpsy ensures that textiles are properly repurposed through resale and reuse. Through a county contract, Helpsy pays Bronxville for what it collects.

Green Tree Textiles offers donation bins in many nearby locations, including the Bronxville Farmers Market, spring through fall.      

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Westchester (BBBS) distributes some of the clothing it collects to address specific needs in the community; the rest is sold to Helpsy for distribution or recycling; the proceeds BBBS receives play an essential role in supporting its youth mentoring programs.

Don’t forget REPAIR as a REUSE solution! Before tossing an item for a new one, try to get it repaired. Repair Café events are held all over Westchester; they offer fixes to small appliances, bikes, lamps, and other items on the spot. Find a Repair Café near you HERE.

Search, too, for one of the few cobblers left in our area (Big Apple Shoe Repair can sew other leather items too) and for shops that repair sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, and lamps. For clothing, consider tackling minor mending yourself, or hire a tailor at one of Bronxville’s drycleaning establishments.  Revitalizing vintage clothing is an art that some shops are making the focus of their business model. Check out Eva Joan in NYC.

Finally, consider holding a Swap Party! Guests bring clothing in good condition that no longer works for their wardrobes and swap with clothing brought by other guests.  Or moms bring clothing their kids have outgrown and swap for larger sizes. Teen girls especially love swap parties!

We know the issue is big, but some solutions are small and can be found in simple everyday decisions. And none of us needs to be perfect, just do a little better.  Click HERE to read the other Waste Free Bronxville articles in this series.

For your calendar: May 17, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. is Bronxville’s TAKE BACK DAY! Start saving your sensitive documents to be shredded and used electronics to be dropped off for recycling. Other household items will be collected for donation. Check back HERE for more specifics on what will be collected as we get closer to the event.

The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. We work to propose and implement environmentally sustainable programs in our community. Visit our website and follow us on Instagram @bxvgreencommittee to learn more.