The do's and don'ts of donating

It has been reported that Australian charities spend around $13 million per year to send unusable donations (mainly clothing) to landfill. This comes out of the fund that could have been used to help those in need. There are lots of different reasons why charity stores don’t accept certain items, from hygiene or safety reasons, or to a lack of space to store large, bulky donations.

Before donating anything to a charity shop, ask yourself:

1. Is this item likely to be used by someone else? 

2. Would I buy this item from an op shop?

3. Would I give this to a friend?

4. If the answer to any one of these questions is ‘no’ please don’t donate! In fact, you can give yourself a pat on the back because you're helping these charities avoid massive disposal fees!

More tips for responsible donating:

• If your chosen charity store is closed, please find one that is open or a donation collection point in your neighbourhood.

• If the donation collection point is full, please take your items home to donate at another time.

Salvos stores

Wanted (in good condition):

• Clothing & accessories

• Toys, books, CDs, DVDs & vinyl

• Bric-a-brac & homewares

• Electrical goods, quality furniture (selected stores) & white goods (selected stores)

Not all stores accept larger items such as furniture and white goods, so please check your local store. 

Not accepted:

• Broken or damaged furniture or whitegoods

• Bean bags with foam beads or without child resistant fasteners

• Mattresses and/or bases that are stained or torn 

• Old-style TV cabinets 

• Computer monitors, printers, scanners & other hardware 

• Gas or electric ovens or cook tops

• Gas or any liquid fuel (such as oil or kerosene) burning heaters  (e.g. oil or kerosene) burning heat

Red Cross

You can donate quality:

• Women’s, men’s & children’s clothing, bags, shoes and accessories

• Books, CDs & DVDs

• Homewares

Please don't donate:

• Stained & damaged clothing, underwear and goods

• Used beauty & hygiene products

• Electrical goods 

• White goods 

• Kitchenware (such as cutlery, dishes, pots and pans - unless in new packaging)

• Furniture (including beanbags, tables and mattresses)

• Baby items (car seats, highchairs, cots etc.)

• Outdoor items (such as BBQs and trampolines)

• Harmful products (including knives, weapons and gas canisters)

If you are unsure about an item and whether it can be donated, visit the Red Cross website 

St Vincent de Paul

They accept donations in good condition, including:

• Men’s, women’s & children’s clothing 

• Footwear, bags, jewellery & accessories

• Homewares, including manchester

• Kids toys

• Books, CDs & DVDs and other media

• Furniture*

• Some electrical goods*

*Not all shops will accept all items. Please check if your local Vinnies Shop can accept these goods before dropping them off. 

Please do not donate the following:

• Ripped, torn, soiled or stained clothing

• Broken, ripped or stained furniture

• Cracked or broken homewares

• Stained bedding including mattresses

• Computers, printers & scanners

Good Sammys

They will happily accept:

• Quality clothes, shoes & accessories including handbags & jewellery

• Antiques, including English china

• Quality homewares, furniture & electrical items

When gifting preloved goods to Good Sammy op shops, they ask that you bring your donations between 9am - 4pm (Monday to Saturday) and 12pm - 4pm (Sunday). 

Please keep in mind that there are rare occasions when some of the stores are temporarily unable to accept donations. You are encouraged to phone your local store in advance to check if they are able to accept your gift. 

Please do not donate: 

• Stained, damaged or broken items

• Food products

• Used or unsealed cosmetics

• Chemicals, alcohol, drugs, R-rated products, guns, animal fur or bootleg items including counterfeit DVDs

• Sharps, such as knives & scissors

• Helmets

• Flotation devices

• Baby car seats (except at Wanneroo and Canning Vale Head Office), cots, strollers without a safety strap

• Hot water bottles

• Old electrical items without an insulated plug

• Text books or encyclopedias

• Company-branded workwear, including security & police uniforms

If your items aren't good enough to donate, here are some alternatives to sending them to landfill:

How to recycle old socks

Recycle your old bedlinen and towels

Keep old technology out of landfill

Recycle old running shoes

How to recycle old CDs and DVDs