When decluttering, which you might be doing as a new year’s resolution, we recommend that clients give unwanted items to charity (if they can’t easily be sold). Doing so:
Helps someone buy the item cheaper than they would new
Helps the charity get money to support the cause/s they were set up for
Helps create space in your home more quickly (if you want to sell something it hangs around for a long while before you list it and then someone comes to buy it!)
But not everything can be given to charity. For instance, cuddly toys need a CE label (making sure they meet certain standards); not all charities take electrical goods; some things aren’t good enough quality (stop and think – would you buy it?!); and they can’t sell knives or alcohol.
What do we do with the things that can’t be taken to a charity shop? Here are some ideas:
Unopened alcohol – we donate for prizes for fairs either to charities or school PTAs
Knives – any place that makes food for charity would welcome good quality knives, so you can ask around and give to them
Unopened food with 3 months on the label can go to the local food bank
Unopened food which is less than 3 months on the label or out of date but not perishable can be listed somewhere like ‘Olio’. You can give freezer food away this way too. Opened food can also be listed but obviously you need to state this.
Towels can be listed online as free items (Facebook, Olio or Freecycle are examples of places you can list things free) as dog walkers often want them. You can also list duvets and pillows there too (of course if they’re in exceptional condition, the charity shops may take them).
Furniture is often rejected by charity collection services and can be given away online as free items.
Old saucepans may have life left but not be good enough for charity so you can list them.
Cosmetics: new items in box sets can be given to charity shops, but smaller items can go to https://thehygienebank.com/locations/ and https://www.toiletriesamnesty.org/directory/
Stationery, crafting supplies etc can be given away on Olio or you might have a community group nearby who will take these things https://www.workandplayscrapstore.org.uk/
There are many more categories, but if in doubt, call your local charity shop first and if it is not suitable list it as a freebie on a local Facebook Group and try and give it a new home!
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