Stop giving us your junk, charity shops urge
Store bosses deluged with disgusting items after clear-outs ask public to be thoughtful about donation
A pile of items left outside a charity shop in Urmston, Greater Manchester, last year
Credit: REUTERS
Charity shop bosses have urged people to stop donating patently unsellable items, as they are deluged by mountains of bags from spring cleans.
The Charity Retail Association (CRA) has warned the public to avoid dropping off disgusting or really badly broken pieces to their local shop, as they end up having to be thrown away.
Its warning comes amid an influx of donations, believed to be the result of many Britons spending lockdowns decluttering their homes.
BBC News
Published
image copyrightHospiscare
image captionHelen Hutter of Hopiscsare: We would like to have more people selling things rather than sorting them and putting them in the bin
A charity faces an annual bill of £32,000 to dispose of donated items that it cannot sell.
Many of the donations are stained, spattered in paint and in one case a child s potty was soiled, said Hospiscare. It s not just about donations being pre-loved, it s also so they are ready to be loved by somebody else, said retail manager Helen Hutter.
The Devon charity is urging people to call first before donating.