School second-hand shops are a lifesaver for parents’ wallets

As the new school year approaches, families face rising costs, but by no means all school supplies need to be bought new. Since 2023, the waste management consortium SIDEC has been running the ‘ReUse’ campaign, under which items that are no longer in use but are still in good condition can be handed in to specialised resource centres. Following a technical inspection, suitable items – including rucksacks, pencil cases and exercise books – are passed on free of charge to new owners, thereby preventing them from becoming household waste.

During the short period of the campaign, a considerable amount of items is collected — around two tonnes. As Carlos Neves, head of SIDEC’s technical department, notes, participants’ motivations vary: for some, reducing their environmental impact is the top priority, whilst others see it as a direct way to save money. However, the initiative faces logistical constraints — items not claimed by the end of the campaign cannot be stored until the following year due to a lack of warehouse space.

The Ministry of Education actively supports the concept of reusing printed materials. The ‘Upbooking’ campaign, aimed at secondary school pupils, enables them to exchange unwanted textbooks directly via a specialised online platform. To make this process more appealing, a reward scheme has been introduced: pupils who collect a second-hand textbook receive a voucher worth 50 per cent of its original price via the MyBooks system. According to Sandra da Silva, a representative from the teaching materials department, there are currently around 1,600 active listings on the platform.