Hospice charities are incurring significant costs disposing of unsellable donations, with St Barnabas Hospice in Lincoln and Dove House Hospice in Hull spending a combined £70,000 on waste disposal last year.
Jane Ward, deputy manager at a St Barnabas Hospice shop, highlighted items such as mouldy books, dog-hair-covered jackets, and single dirty slippers that cannot be sold. Caroline Peach, head of retail for St Barnabas, stated that the charity spent £30,000 on waste disposal across its shops last year, despite recycling 350 tonnes of material.
Similarly, Dove House Hospice, which relies heavily on donations for its £12m annual running costs, spent £40,000 on waste disposal last year. Jenny Rowan, head of retail at Dove House, showed examples like a broken baby walker and a mug with no handle, explaining that disposing of such items costs the hospice money.
Charity staff are asking donors to consider whether they would buy an item themselves before donating it, to help reduce waste costs.