Charity Waste

• What is charity waste?
• Charity waste bins
• How do charity waste collections work?
• What happens to charity waste?

Charity waste is any rubbish produced by a charitable organisation. This could be a charity shop, food bank, or animal shelter. Types of charity waste vary greatly from battered books that shops can’t sell to damaged clothes that are unwearable and inedible food leftover from a weekly community lunch for elderly locals.

Unfortunately, plenty of people take junk to charity shops that aren’t fit to donate, resell, or even reuse. This is a big source of charity waste, as the voluntary organisation must then get rid of it responsibly. In most cases, charity waste classifies as commercial waste, so not-for-profit organisations must arrange commercial waste collection. This includes for:

• Clothing and textiles – unwearable and damaged clothes, curtains, rugs, and other textiles either donated to or used by charities.
• Food waste – leftover and waste food from community lunches, food banks, charity meals, and other events.
• Books, toys, and games – broken and damaged goods donated to charity shops that are unusable and unsellable.
• Clinical waste – any kind of medical waste produced by charitable organisations, such as animal shelters.
• General waste – all charities produce some level of general waste in their activities, from food wrappers thrown away in bins in charity shops to daily rubbish created in offices.

Charity waste is managed in the same way as commercial waste. What happens to charity waste after it’s removed from your premises depends on its type and material. At Business Waste we aim to recycle, recover, and reuse as much waste collected from charities as possible to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.

Examples of what happens to charity waste for common materials include:

• Books – paperback books are normally recycled with other waste paper. The glue is removed, and the papers are pulped and turned into new recycled paper. With hardback books, the cover and glue are removed and processed separately.
• Cardboard – different grades of waste cardboard can be recycled together. The sheets are shredded, mixed with water, and eventually dried and pressed to form new sheets of cardboard.
• Clothing and textiles – the type of textiles affects the recycling process. Natural textiles are cleaned, and fibres are separated and then spun into new yarn. Polyester is shredded and melted to form fresh polyester fabrics, while other artificial textiles might be used to fill materials like furniture padding.
• Food – waste food is often sent for composting to naturally recycle the organic materials. Alternatively, it might go to an anaerobic digestion plant. Here it’s used to generate energy and create a fertiliser.
• General waste – rather than going to landfill it’s better for general waste to be incinerated in controlled conditions. This can turn general waste into refuse-derived fuel, which is used as an alternative to fossil fuels.
• Toys and games – the materials any toys and games are made from affect what happens to them. Some plastic toys can be recycled depending on the type of plastic, while elements such as metal might also be removed and recycled separately. In many cases, they will be disposed of with general waste and incinerated.

Book removal of any type and amount of waste from your charity shop, voluntary organisation, or any other charitable group from anywhere in the UK with Business Waste. We can provide free bins to separate and store waste from your charity and remove it at a convenient time.

One-off and regular removals of charity waste are available. Organise daily, weekly, or fortnightly collections of your charity waste so your rubbish doesn’t build up and cause logistical and hygiene issues. We ensure as much of your waste as possible is kept away from landfill to help the environment.