Health and safety gone mad!

I must admit I turned down the offer of a secondhand potty from a good friend, it just seemed a bit yucky to be using someone else's. Totally illogical, I know. As it happens, I never had to buy one for the DGS to use here, they always used to come prepared. Phew!

Jane 987, you won't be adding to the plastic situation if you buy a new potty,because they are all ready manufactured & will continue to be sold. If you buy one you yourself could pass it on when you no longer need it. I admire your outlook, perhaps you could adapt some non plastic utensil in your home to solve the problem.

Used about three times then DGD decided she was a 'big girl' and wanted to use the toddler toilet seat.

I did buy a set of potty and little stool from Lidl - the potty hardly got used but I sent that one to the charity shop as it looked new (and scrubbed it first, of course) - goodness' knows what they did with it then.
It was a while ago now, but they change the stock that they sell in the middle aisle fairly frequently - it could be baby and toddler week any time.

I would agree that it is probably to avoid having potties brought in that are not "clean" and the volunteers then having the responsibility of bleaching etc. Some of the donations to charity shops can be really disgusting unfortunately.

I would guess that this is just the decision of the charity shop. They probably don't want their staff to have to clean and disinfect the potties, nothing to do with health and safety regs.