Hospice plea over dirty and broken shop donations

A hospice has warned donations of dirty, broken and damaged goods to its charity shops are costing the organisation more than £1,000 every year.

The Blythe House Hospice runs six shops in north Derbyshire, but many items left outside its shops when they are closed need to be disposed of, according to senior retail manager Marie Brown.

She said the issue had worsened over the last few years, amid the cost of living crisis.

"It costs the charity money because we have to pay for our bins and we like to recycle as much as possible, so then we have to pay the fuel costs and wages for people to take items to the tip," she added.

A dirty baby bottle steriliser, broken plates, limescale-covered kettles and a sun lounger with mould on it have been among the items that were donated but could not be sold.

Brown added that during bad weather after Christmas, staff would arrive at its shops to find sacks full of clothes that were dirty and damp.

She said she was 'extremely grateful' for the donations which could be sold, but added some people were 'misguided' when bringing in items.

"The best thing donors could do for us is look at what they are donating and ask themselves - is it clean, is it undamaged and would I buy it?," added Brown, who said the cost of disposing unsuitable items was more than £1,000 per year.

"If the answer to those questions is 'yes', then we would love to have these items."

She said that people had been hanging on to items for longer before donating them to charity shops during the cost of living crisis, which meant the quality of goods had fallen.

Hannah Weet, communications and social media officer at the Charity Retail Association, advised people to call a charity shop before making a big donation to check if there was space for it.

"The issue raised is, unfortunately, a familiar challenge for many of our members across the UK," said Weet.

"While the British public is incredibly generous and donate with good intentions, charity shops often have to deal with items that are broken, soiled or otherwise unsaleable.

"The cost of disposing of these items is a significant burden. Every pound a charity spends on commercial waste disposal is a pound taken away from their core mission, such as providing hospice care, medical research, or community support."

The Blythe House Hospice provides end-of-life care in Chapel-en-le-Frith and it has charity shops in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Whaley Bridge, New Mills, Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock.

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