Charities not accepting charity

cormie

We tried to donate a load of things to the local Oxfam today only to be told they wouldn't take them, from curtains to clothing and books to board games. Is there anywhere we can get rid of all this without having to resort to dumping the lot? Ballyogan is a local recycling plant, we can get rid of the clothing there I think, but how about the board games and all that?

Any feedback appreciated:)

Ruu_Old

Any reason why they wouldnt take them?

John R

Oxfam and the like are choosy about what they accept these days, people were using them to get rid of useless rubbish and it was costing them money to dispose of it.


Do yo not get collection cards and bags from "charities" looking for stuff to be left on your doorstep? Many of these are bogus charities anyway.

monkeyfudge

How about the 'Free Stuff' section on adverts.ie?

You'd be surprised what you can get rid of. I got rid of a Betamax player once.

cormie

We have loads of stuff, too much for a post on adverts.ie, years and years old but could be still useful to some. Yeah, Oxfam are very choosey it seems. Again, the door to door collectors just want clothing. We have a solution for the clothing, but what about the board games and all that? Surely somebody could get use of a board game? Or do kids play them anymore?:(

monkeyfudge

I could use some old board games.... what have you got? Do have Ghost Castle?

Oh.. and there are plans afoot for a boards.ie car boot / jumble sale too...

cormie

Yeah I saw the car boot thread:) Is there anywhere iI could bring them where less fortunate families could go and pick things up for birthdays or whatever, the board games aren't D&D style either, more like frustration, dizzy dinosaur and that type. Most of them are 5years + no AD&D either:p

Dave!

What about hospitals or somethin like that? Some people who are in hospital for long stretches would appreciate some of the stuff probably.

Wertz

lol a few months back I had an old portable TV in P.W.O., rang SVP to donate it, figuring someone might have a need for it....the guy comes to collect it, takes a look around the TV asks if there's a remote (there isn't; it's that old) and then begrudgingly takes it away....I thought he was gonna ask us for a handling fee! I could have easily taken it to the recycling plant but like I said it worked perfectly (they don't make them like they used to) and thought someone could have made use of it. What were they expecting...a f*cking plasma?

DadaKopf

If you're in dundrum, try Concern. They take all wardrobes and stuff.

harney

You could hand them out to chuggers in lieu of donations

amptypockets

have you heard of jumbletown.ie? its a new website where people basically give away stuff for free! the deal is that you put a post up saying what you want to give away(theres different categories, household, gardening, computers , childrens toys etc) and its up to the person who wants it to collect it from you.

Oriel

cormie wrote:

We have loads of stuff, too much for a post on adverts.ie

Just post a photo of everything

iguana

Two years ago Oxfam Ireland spent €40,000 on waste charges. As it costs €3 to educate a child in Tanzania for a year, that is potentially 13,333 children who went without schooling* due to people in Ireland not being careful about what they donate. Oxfam GB's waste costs are in the millions.

Charity shops are under no obligation to take whatever people don't want anymore. Many items that seem in good condition to you can be illegal for 2nd hand retailers to sell. Selling used electrical items is illegal without a license, and to get that the shop needs to have a qualified electrician who will test every single item. As this is expensive, the electrician is generally a volunteer, so if a shop can't get a qualified electrician to give up his/her time free of charge, they can not sell ANY electrical items and have to pay to have them removed.

It is against the law to sell childrens toys without a CE mark, that includes board games. Prams, children's car seats and safety helmets can not be sold under the same law. Some charities, like Oxfam, have a no fur or ivory rule. And on occasion if there is a huge influx of donations the shop may have to reject any new donations as they will be in violation of health and safety legislation regarding the safety of volunteers and staff.

It is wise to ring the shop you intend to donate to in advance and describe what you intend to donate. Always ask to speak with someone senior as some volunteers may not be sure of the guidlines and don't like to reject anything. And please don't get insulted if the shop can't take your item it isn't personal, and you are probably speaking to a volunteer who is trying to do good.

If I ever have crap that I want to get rid of that I know is unsaleable I think I will put it in one of those bags that bogus charity collectors leave out. They are scum of the earth who give out leaflets claiming that they are collecting for charity when in reality they are selling the donations at profit. Damaging genuine charities and often selling the items in developing world countries where the influx of these goods have devestating effects on local economies. You can tell who they are as genuine charities will ALWAYS have a registered charity number on their literature.

*This is obviosly not the only way that money could have been spent but is a devestating example.

Seraphina

try some other charity shops. the shop may have many reasons for not being able to accept the donation. otherwise, hospitals are also a good idea.

MrJoeSoap

iguana wrote:

it costs €3 to educate a child in Tanzania for a year

You sure about that? :eek:

Its crazy if its true.

iguana

MrJoeSoap wrote:

You sure about that? :eek:

Its crazy if its true.

Yup, one of my colleagues was on a placement there 18 months ago. The cost of educating a child for a year, compared to the cost of waste charges in Ireland alone was one of the things that most upset her.

It also costs just €3 to provide school dinners for 133 children.