to hope for a donation?

oh dear- best not to respond sometimes, so I won't- apart from saying that landfill is a huge problem in the UK- but not in some countries, like mine for instance. Fact.

Do seem to remember though that you resented me commenting about racism in Southern USA too.

I don't believe very much in our area goes to landfill. Home refuse is segregated into food, metal, glass, paper, materials, plastic, garden waste, we only get a very small bag of other waste. Each of theses is collected separately (do not go in same truck). Garden waste is composted and you can buy it back - had 5 ton last year.
At our local tip, again everything is segregated, even more so than domestic rubbish.
Landfill is very expensive for councils, they do not use it unless there is no choice.
They Blaby tip has similar segregation.
Most of this has come in over the last few years as landfill has become a dirty word (word play there)

All the stuff that used to go to landfill is now burnt to help create electricity in the local area (I'm in the UK).

Here are the UK Government statistics Gj
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487916/UK_Statistics_on_Waste_statistical_notice_15_12_2015_update_f2.pdf

As you will see, the UK meets all the EU standards except for recycling of household waste, but is on target to recycle 50% by 2020, which will meet EU requirements.

The UK comfortably met (and exceeded) the target for reduction of Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) sent to landfill in 2013 and continues to do so.

In 2013, 72.7 per cent of UK packaging waste was either recycled or recovered. The 2013 EU target was for the UK to recycle or recover at least 60 per cent of packaging waste.

The recovery rate from non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in the UK in 2012 was 86.5 per cent. There is an EU target for the UK to recover at least 70 per cent of this type of waste by 2020.

The UK generated 200.0 million tonnes of total waste in 2012. Half of this (50 per cent) was generated by Construction. Commercial & Industrial activities generated almost a quarter (24 per cent), with households responsible for a further 14 per cent. Almost half (50.0 per cent) of the 186.2 million tonnes of total waste that entered final treatment in the UK in 2012 was recovered. The proportion that went to landfill was 26.1 per cent.

So whilst it is generally accepted that Switzerland is a leader in terms of waste management, the UK is not doing too badly either.

Meanwhile, in my area, general waste bin collection is being reduced from fortnightly to three weekly - with trials of four-weekly collections to be started in some areas.

That's OK for one or two-person households, but I do feel for families with three or four children over 5 (you're allowed an extra bin under that age!). OK, so recycling refuse will be collected weekly, but there's a limit on how much of your waste you can put in those bins, and for people with no transport the local tip is out of the question!

Just so the Council can meet EU 'targets'...

The ESA website shows the very complex process of waste disposal in the UK. I can vouch for the fact that recycling is on the increase and the types of material that can be recycled are also increasing. This site clarifies the materials that we, in Cheshire are able to put in our recycling bins. As a result, there is usually very little in my black (non-recyclable) bin. I hope this makes it very clear to you, gj that perhaps your notions of the situation in UK are somewhat out of date or,at best, over-generalised.

How can this comment be out-dated or over-generalised:

Better than being wasted and ending up in landfill...pray tell?

Different areas vary enormously in their recycling provision, so it is really impossible to generalise.
A sophisticated recycling scheme has been running in MK for some years. Separate weekly collections for glass in blue crates, paper/plastics/fabrics/lightweight metals in pink plastic sacks, garden and food waste in a green wheely bin (which goes to an anaerobic digester) and general waste in black bags. We were issued with grey lidded "caddies" for food waste to use indoors on a daily basis before taking it out to the wheely bin so there are no nasty smells in the house. I think the MK scheme was one of the first of its kind to collect everything on a weekly basis. Other areas may be fortnightly or alternate bio waste with general household waste.
Judging by the ratio of each type of recycling put out each week, households around here are very diligent and I know we are appreciative of a weekly collection system.
I recently went round the recycling plant and it was an eye-opener.

to be fair, this thread is about charity shops -
and I made a comment re throwing away instead of giving goods no longer wanted, furniture, household goods, curtains, clothes, computers, etc- and not general recycling. My comment was simpy that giving is better than throwing - here, there or anywhere.

To be scrupulous, I think you raised the question of landfill in the UK yesterday and earlier today, Gj. Subsequent comments related to that and the widespread and varied provision of recycling/free cycling etc all,over the UK.