Donations to charity shops

I don't imagine any of the Gransnet community would dream of dumping dirty or unusable items at a charity shop but I did read on another site aimed at young mothers that one young mother was depressed and could not face washing her children's clothes who asked people not to judge her but asked what she could do. I was astounded by the number of people who suggested that a charity shop was a better option than throwing the clothes away. Why would they expect people who volunteer their time to sort through other people's dirty washing?

Our tip has a bin for textiles that are not fit for charity shops. Now and then I’ve used it for e.g. items with stains that won’t come out, or that are just too worn.

I am really quite shocked to hear that that Hospice charity are having to pay to have clothes taken away. I have taken unsaleable clothes to Oxfam but explained that they are for WasteSaver who collect from the back of the shop and the charity receives some money for the rags. I was told it's turned into car seat covers or the like.

Our Council claim that nothing we put in the bin is sent to landfill.
From their website:
The contents of your grey bins are delivered to a local Energy-from-Waste facility.
Waste is burnt with the heat used to drive a steam turbine to generate electricity.
Scrap metal is removed by magnets for recycling.
A future plan is to use the residual heat in local housing.

Also people buy too much stuff they don't need. Sometimes I say this to people and the reply? 'What's need got to do with it?'
People are greedy and lazy. I am on a web-site where people proudly show photos of stuff they buy with no intention of using or wearing. 'Couldn't help myself again!' is a common comment. Also, 'I bought this and got home and realised I already had one,' is another.

Here’s the reverse of people taking dirty old clothes to charity shops.
Someone I used to know was a compulsive clothes shopper, but only of anything (new) that was vastly reduced in a sale.

As a result she had piles and piles of new, unworn clothing in the house, and one day her dh got so fed up he took piles and piles of brand new, unworn clothes, to the tip.?
I was so bloody angry that he couldn’t be bothered to take it to charity shops.

Some of the charity shops also collect clothes etc that are not suitable for selling in their shops but they can sell on as rags and get money for them.

How many times have I written about this on GN.
You can not believe the rubbish that’s dumped on us.
Dirty pants and knickers. A bra covered in blood. Food!!!
That without the usual broken toys, clothes covered in dog hairs, pictures with smashed glass. And on and on it goes.
The air is beyond blue when I open some bags ?

Having worked in a charity shop I agree with the OPs comments.

We used to have someone who once a year would bring in a bag of dirty children's clothes - including dirty underwear. Never bought anything just used us as a dumping ground.

The bins behind the store were regularly filled with unsaleable "donations". The "ragging" bags were also quickly filled - but at least some money could be made from those

If you wouldn't wear something which is dirty and with holes in it - why would you think someone else would buy it?

I heard a similar story from a friend who volunteers in a charity shop. Sadly, members of the public include all sorts, some not very charitable in what they donate or their willingness to pay even the small amount often charged in charity shops.

Not that it’s any excuse, but around here anyway, you have to book a slot at the tip, so it’s not as easy as it was.
Dh is a regular tip-goer, but even he forgot about his slot the other day.

I have loads of stuff for charity shops, inc. stacks of recent paperbacks I won’t read again, but thought I’d wait until the initial rush is over - and then take stuff a bit at a time.

Outside our little charity shop in the village someone had dumped a 3 seater sofa. It was in poor condition and not saleable.

Same reason people,don’t bother to return shopping trolleys to the correct place!

Laziness.

I suggest because many tips are charging to dispose of the most innocuous waste, more people are using tips (a good thing) and as a result you often have to queue for ages to use them, charity shops are in town centres and it is easier to drop off a couple of bags at the charity shop when you go past it on the way into a town centre or supermarket than drive several miles to some out of the way industrial estate to queue to use the tip.

I do realise that tips are in out of the way places for obvious reasons, but some people are just too lazy to take he time to drive there.