Stop charity shop profits heading for landfill warns The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is asking well-meaning people to stop leaving bags of donations next to clothing banks and outside their charity shops as lockdown restrictions mean they cannot be collected and they will instead be sent to landfill sites.

Losing these donations to landfill will cost the charity thousands in lost stock as well as being an environmental disaster.   

Money raised from textile reuse and recycling benefits The Salvation Army as well as many national and local community-based charities. The Salvation Army’s Lifehouses (homeless hostels) and food banks are just some of the vital services supporting people hardest hit by the coronavirus.

The Salvation Army is one of the largest clothing bank collectors and operates this, along with a chain of charity shops, via the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCOL).

Tony Hosking, SATCoL’s Director of Clothing Collection Division, said: “The lockdown has already seen a dramatic rise in wardrobe clearances and furniture donations with well-meaning donors thinking they are helping us by dropping them outside clothes banks and shops; but please could you hold on to your generous donations a bit longer for us.

“We will miss out on any donations left during lockdown and the area around clothing banks and charity shops will quickly become an eye sore, while also leading to more textiles unnecessarily heading into landfill rather than being reused or recycled.

“Please help us so the environment doesn’t lose out. Dropping off bags at clothing banks or charity shops is not listed as one of the journeys which can be made under lockdown. Please help beat coronavirus, #stayhome and keep your donations at home until we reopen.”

Such is the urgent need for food and other vital support for people hardest hit by the coronavirus that The Salvation Army has launched the Coronavirus Impact Fund. The fund will help meet the growing demand on its food banks and other support services by people affected by the social and economic fall-out of the pandemic.

You can donate to the Coronavirus Impact Fund via The Salvation Army website www.salvationarmy.org.uk or cheques should be addressed to The Salvation Army and sent to The Coronavirus Impact Fund, The Salvation Army, 101 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BN.