MANSFIELD - Area residents will have a chance next Saturday to dispose of reusable and recyclable items they no longer want while helping those in need.

The second annual Reuse, Recycle, Donate Day will be held April 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, at the Tweeter Center off Route 140 in Mansfield.

The Earth Day weekend event is being held by the Southeast Regional Recycling Partnership, a group that involves the towns of North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro, Plainville and Wrentham.

"Basically anyone can go. There is no requirement you have to be from any of the towns," Wrentham Solid Waste Recycling Committee member Maureen Osolnik stressed.

"The more, the better." Besides helping others, reusing items will save communities trash disposal costs and help the environment, Osolnik said.

"A lot of people got spring cleaning fever, and instead of throwing it away ... we just hope people save the items," Osolnik said.

The items need to be in decent condition.

Items accepted include clothing in good condition (in bags), sneakers in any condition as ones in poor condition are recycled for their rubber soles, eye glasses, small appliances in working condition, books of all types, toys, usable computers and equipment (up to a $5 charge), small household furnishings, furniture in good condition, linens in any condition, sporting goods including athletic shoes but no fitness or ski equipment, and building materials such as cabinets, doors, faucets. Bicycles and bed frames are accepted, but a $5 donation is requested.

Also, residents can bring paper that will be shredded for recycling at no charge while you watch.

Organizations planning to attend include Bikes Not Bombs, Building Materials Resource Center, Got Books, Nike, North Attleboro Animal Shelter, Play It Again Sports, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and Afrihope. Big Brothers Big Sisters and Cradles to Crayons are taking part for the first time.

"It is all going to good causes," Osolnik said.

Last year's event was a booming success, attracting about 350 cars. "Basically everybody there went away with a full truck," Osolnik said.

More than 80 bikes and nearly 300 sneakers were collected, and so many books were donated, a second truck could have been filled. "They left with the tires so low I didn't know if they could drive it," Osolnik said of Got Books.

"We had so much stuff left, some of it was then taken by Plainville Boy Scouts for their annual yard sale," which made the scouts a lot of money, Osolnik recalled. The event last year was held in the shopping center at the junction of routes 1 and 106 in Plainville where Target is located. This year that spot was not available as the parking area used is now where a Stop & Shop is.

This year's location is a little farther away from several of the five towns than last year's spot, but Osolnik points out it is easily accessible from Interstate 495.

It is the only such event in the area.

The five-town partnership has been active with other recycling initiatives, including obtaining grants for recycling programs.

Volunteers are needed for the April 21 event, including helping to unload vehicles. Call your town's recycling program to help.

STEPHEN PETERSON can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at speterson@thesunchronicle.com.