Donate or Recycle? Here's how to decide

Donating unwanted belongings to charity is one way they can be put to great RE-USE. But donations that can’t be used often end up in landfill causing damage to the environment. When you’re thinking about donating, ask yourself these questions…

1. Is this safe?

Safety is a concern with second-hand electrical items.

If you want to donate an electrical item, check with your local charity shop whether or not they accept them.

Some will and some won’t, depending on their facilities.

If not, find out where to recycle it at your local recycling centre.

2. Does this still work?

Puzzles, toys, CDs, DVDs, china, books…

These are great donations… if they aren’t faulty, scratched, chipped, missing a piece, or missing a page, that is!

If they are, find your local recycling centre instead.

3. Is this clean?

If you’re donating something to charity, the plan is that someone else is going to buy it.

So whatever it is, make sure it’s clean. Simple.

Otherwise it might just get thrown away to landfill.

This goes for clothing, toys, household objects etc…

4. Is this wearable?

It’s no use donating an item of clothing that’s too torn or stained to wear, or that’s missing a button or a working zip…

Why not try mending it?

Whether it’s sewing, darning, patching or stain removing, a quick internet search can give you guidance, and it might be an easy problem to fix.

Then you can either keep it, or make a useful donation.

And you’ll have learned a great new skill!

If it isn’t worth fixing, then find your local recycling centre.

5. Could this be useful to somebody?

If the answer is no, then it’s likely that by donating it to a charity shop you are just creating more clutter and more work for the staff there.

Instead, find your local recycling centre where you can recycle most household items and give them a new lease of life in another way.

Either way, you can avoid landfill 🙂

No good for donation? Find your local recycling centre now

If you can’t donate it, recycle it at your local recycling centre.

Use our map to find yours now.