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Charities

Charity Bags

(38 Posts)
Greendorrie Wed 22-Aug-12 10:12:59

We seem to have a charity bag put through our door every week, and as I am not continually clearing out my cupboards they don't get used. However recently I have done a bit of clearing out, and thought I would make use of the bag that had just arrived. As it was raining I left the bag on the doorstep where it would have some shelter from the rain, it was ignored by the van if it came round. So the contents were taken to the local charity shop instead. This weekend I filled another bag, which should have been collected yesterday. The same thing happened again! However we had another bag which was to be collected today, from 8.00am. So I transfered the contents to the new bag. This morning at 7.30am I saw the van go flying past our house even though they were not supposed to come until 8.00. Do other people have more success than me?

whywhywhy Mon 22-Apr-19 10:55:37

I always take my bags to the charity shops in our area. We had a spate of people in vans just picking them up and no proof as to who they were. I reported one van to the police and it turned out not to be the charity at all. So that put me off.

annodomini Wed 27-Mar-19 10:59:52

I haven't had many charity bags recently. Our recycling scheme takes plastic bags, so they can be used around the house for picking up recyclable items like shampoo and shower gel bottles and then I drop the whole lot in the bin. Alternatively, I use them to take items to charity shops and not necessarily the ones related to the bags.

FlexibleFriend Wed 27-Mar-19 10:33:31

I've only ever left one bag out for collection, I used a bag delivered that day and put it out when instructed, it was collected. That was the British Heart Foundation. I chose them because I recognised them as genuine whereas a lot were a bit questionable, no other reason.

pollyolly Tue 26-Mar-19 19:55:07

I live in a cul-de-sac too but they keep on coming(the bags not the vans) Never thought about the supermarket containers for old carrier bags. Will try that next.

kathsue Mon 25-Mar-19 20:35:09

Since I moved 5 years ago I haven't had a single charity bag. I live in a cul-de-sac, perhaps they don't want the bother of turning their van round in a confined space confused

pollyolly Mon 25-Mar-19 20:03:56

Help, drowning in large plastic charity bags coming through my letterbox, do not use them for purpose intended, all my stuff taken to charity shop. I am trying to reduce the amount of plastic choking the planet, but how do I stop them coming and having to dispose of them safely?

NfkDumpling Mon 28-Jan-13 18:46:33

Charity bags fit swing bins perfectly. (I take my stuff the the Sally Army - they apparently find an outlet for everything.)

cathysclown48 Mon 28-Jan-13 18:41:42

best part of the charity bags i get through the door iv'e never heard of so i just use them for rubbish, i get at least 5 bags every week. when i do fill one and put it out if they are not quick in collecting it someone else picks it up.

Wheniwasyourage Mon 28-Jan-13 18:32:25

dallaslane if you are wanting to give to charity without ending up on mailing lists, you could consider opening a Charities Aid Foundation account which allows you to pay in a monthly amount of your choice and then give either online or by means of their own Charity Cheques or card. You can give anonymously whichever you use, and so they can't waste their (or your) money trying to persecute you to give more. We've used our account successfully for years now and are mailing list free.

As for charity bags, by the time we've finished with our clothes, nobody would want them shock and so I put them in the Salvation Army bin at Tesco's so that they can at least sell them for recycling.

Stansgran Mon 28-Jan-13 17:31:23

I think there is something on YouTube whisk shows you how to cut these bags into continuous strips and then crochet into really useful shopping bags. Oxfam will give you a sheet of gift aid stickers if you are a taxpayer. Always astonished how much our rubbish earns as we get a letter telling us how much the charity has made

FlicketyB Mon 28-Jan-13 17:02:59

We get these bags almost weekly, sometimes several times a week. I just put them in the recycling bag, which takes plastic film. I take my goods to a local charity shop where we have signed up for Gift Aid or offer it free on Freegle.

glassortwo Mon 28-Jan-13 12:23:46

DGS school does this twice a year and it brings in extra funds for the school.

soop Mon 28-Jan-13 12:20:22

The local village school collects clothing for recycling. For every kilo collected, the school benefits financially and puts the proceeds to good use.

Elegran Mon 28-Jan-13 12:06:19

Some of the bags say that the clothes you give will benefit the poor abroad, but what they don't add is that they will be sold to those poor people, making a profit for the collecting agency.

Movedalot Mon 28-Jan-13 12:01:20

I prefer to take my things directly to a charity where I can gift aid them and then they get additional money from the government. At least that way I know it has gone where I want it to.

Age UK will collect items of furniture and electricals which is useful to know.

Anything I can't give to these sources goes on Freecycle so not much gets wasted from this house.

dallaslane Mon 28-Jan-13 11:55:05

Good people!
it seems that everybody has his own views,
well i used give charity, but after that i don,t like to have information about that charity.Any suggestion!!

GillieB Tue 28-Aug-12 20:26:48

I'm always careful about who I donate to - St. Oswald's Hospice in Newcastle leave a charity bag here about once a month and I tend to use those. I never donate if it mentions on the bag about certain percentages.

Anagram Tue 28-Aug-12 19:37:03

All bags are useful in one way or another, Bags!

NfkDumpling Tue 28-Aug-12 19:34:59

Some nice person pops one through our door each week. I haven't had to buy swing bin liners for ages! (our stuff goes to the local Sally Army shop)

Bags Wed 22-Aug-12 16:39:33

(Charity) Bags was a gransnetter fine.
(Charity) Bags thought this thread was mine!

Keep homing in on the word Bags confused

shysal Wed 22-Aug-12 16:20:42

I will only use the British Heart Foundation bags too Frankel. They are the only reliable ones, always collected.

Sook Wed 22-Aug-12 14:51:48

I donate my goods to a handful of national charities and also our local hospice. I am very wary of some of the charity bags that are pushed through the letter box as I have never heard of them.

Annobel Wed 22-Aug-12 14:14:35

I give half and half to Age UK and the Debra shop because I knew someone who suffered from that terrible condition.

vampirequeen Wed 22-Aug-12 13:51:03

I get a couple a week. I never donate through them. Some are real charities but some are businesses selling the clothes to eastern europe and parts of the developing world.

I take my stuff to the local hospice shop.

Frankel Wed 22-Aug-12 13:47:03

We get one or two bags a week. We use the ones from British Heart Foundation, partly for family reasons and partly because we know BHF (not their agent) will collect promptly. In our area, bags can be stolen if left. We very much avoid those dropped by commercial companies, even if they are make a donation to a charity, preferring to take stuff to a local charity shop (of which there are many). I did ring up a charity once to tell them they were wasting money delivering so many competing charity bags but was told they were given collection days by the local council and they were only following orders. I suppose they get enough bags filled to allow us to use the rest for rubbish.