Home Charity Collections in Brighton!
East Sussex is a county of real contrasts — the Georgian seafront grandeur of Brighton and Eastbourne, the medieval lanes of Lewes, the working harbours of Hastings, and miles of downland and farmland stretching north toward the Weald. Across this whole territory, covering BN, TN and RH postcodes, we run a completely free doorstep charity collection service. If you have clothes, books, toys, kitchenware, linen or other household items you no longer need, we will arrange a convenient collection from your front door, and a large percentage of the proceeds raised goes directly to charity. You do not need to travel, queue or pay a penny.
What we collect across East Sussex
Our collections cover a broad range of everyday items, and with a population of roughly 550,000 people across the county, the cumulative effect of households clearing out unwanted possessions is genuinely significant. Whether you are having a seasonal wardrobe sort in Eastbourne, clearing a spare room in Lewes, or simply finding that the kitchen drawer in your Hastings home has become a graveyard for gadgets and utensils you never use, we are here to help you turn those items into something useful.
Clothing & Accessories
We collect men’s, women’s and children’s clothing — coats, jeans, dresses, tops, shoes, handbags, scarves and belts. Items should be clean and dry. Seasonal changeovers are one of the most natural moments to donate: when winter coats come out of storage in Brighton or Bexhill and there are three you genuinely no longer reach for, that is the moment to book a collection.
Books, CDs & DVDs
We collect novels, non-fiction, children’s picture books, cookbooks and reference titles, as well as CDs and DVDs. East Sussex has a strong reading culture, from the independent bookshops of Lewes to the libraries of Hastings, and passing on read books keeps stories in circulation rather than in landfill — where the paper and card release methane as they break down.
Toys & Games
Outgrown toys — action figures, dolls, soft toys, puzzles and similar smaller items — are gratefully received. If children in your Eastbourne or Brighton household have grown past certain toys, donating them gives those items a second life with another family rather than adding to household waste.
Kitchenware
Pots, pans, crockery, mugs, glasses, cutlery, baking tins and small kitchen gadgets all qualify. The environmental cost of replacing perfectly usable kitchen equipment — the mining, manufacturing and shipping of new goods — is considerable, which makes passing on working kitchenware one of the most straightforward environmental contributions a household can make.
Linen & Towels
Clean bed linen, towels and tablecloths are all collected. Please make sure items are dry before bagging them — damp linen can deteriorate quickly in transit and may not be suitable for reuse. A practical rule of thumb: if it has come straight from a wash, give it an airing first.
General Household Items
Ornaments, vases, picture books, small decorative items, bags and other household goods can all go into your collection. If you are unsure whether something qualifies, our booking process will guide you — but in general, if it is small, dry, undamaged and has a useful life left in it, it is very likely something we can take.
The local environmental picture
East Sussex sits in one of England’s most environmentally conscious regions, with strong community recycling habits in towns from Brighton to Bexhill. When it comes to books specifically, every title that is reused rather than discarded avoids the full cycle of pulping, printing and transporting a brand-new copy — saving the water and CO₂ that process involves. Based on estimates from published UK figures, reusing books and other printed materials makes a measurable difference at scale. Multiply that by the reading habits of roughly 550,000 East Sussex residents and the numbers become genuinely meaningful. The same logic applies across every category we collect: a working frying pan that goes to a new home is a frying pan that does not need to be manufactured from raw materials, and a child’s toy passed on is one that avoids becoming part of a landfill in which plastic components persist for decades.
How the collection works
Book online in minutes
Use our simple booking form to tell us your postcode — anywhere in the BN, TN or RH areas qualifies — and select a date that suits you. We cover the full county, from the coastal towns of Brighton, Eastbourne and Bexhill to the inland communities around Lewes and beyond.
Bag up your items
Pack your donations into bags or boxes. Keep everything dry — particularly important in East Sussex where sea air can make garments damp quickly if bags are left unsealed. Label your bags clearly if you are leaving them outside, and place them in a sheltered spot if possible.
Leave them on your doorstep
On the day of collection, simply leave your bags outside your front door before the start of your collection window. You do not need to be in. Our driver will collect them and you will receive a confirmation once the pick-up is complete.
Your donations go to work
Items are sorted and a large percentage of the proceeds raised goes to charity. Goods in good condition are resold to give them a second life; materials that cannot be resold are handled responsibly. Either way, they stay out of landfill and do genuine good.
What we cannot collect
To keep the service running smoothly and safely, there are some items we are not able to accept. The table below gives a quick overview of the most commonly asked-about categories.
| We do collect | We do not collect |
|---|---|
| Clothing, shoes & accessories | Socks and underwear |
| Books, CDs & DVDs | Magazines, comics & VHS tapes |
| Toys (small, non-bulky) | Ride-on toys, prams, cots & bulky toys |
| Kitchenware & crockery | Microwaves & large appliances |
| Towels & bed linen | Duvets, pillows & blankets |
| Ornaments & small household items | Furniture, rugs & curtains |
Ready to clear some space in East Sussex?
Book a Free Charity Collection→Frequently asked questions
“A clear-out is so much easier when you know the things you are letting go will actually be used. Booking a doorstep collection and leaving bags out is about as low-effort as it gets.”
East Sussex is a county with a strong sense of community, from the grassroots arts scene in Brighton to the fishing heritage of Hastings Old Town. That community spirit is exactly what makes a service like this work — individual households making small, practical decisions that, taken together across 550,000 people, add up to a genuinely substantial contribution to charity and to the environment. If you have a bag of clothes to clear, a shelf of books that have been read, or a kitchen drawer full of things that belong in someone else’s home, book your free collection today and let them do some good.
What we collect across East Sussex
Every one of these is collected free from your doorstep in East Sussex — read what we take, and how to get it ready:
- Clothes & ClothingWardrobe clear-outs of any size, for adults and children alike.
- Shoes & BootsShoes and boots still fit to wear, kept in their pairs.
- BooksPaperbacks, hardbacks and children’s books, boxed or bagged.
- CDs & DVDsDiscs and boxed sets gathering dust on the shelf.
- ElectricalSmall household electricals — see the page for what we can take.
- KitchenwareSpare pans, plates and utensils from the back of the cupboard.
- ToiletriesUnused toiletries and cosmetics, sealed and with lids on.
- Linen & TowelsClean, dry bedding and towels you have since replaced.
- ToysOutgrown toys and games — keep the parts together.
- BagsHandbags, rucksacks and luggage still fit to use.
- ToolsHand tools and garden tools you no longer need.
- Antiques & OrnamentsSmaller antique items you would like passed on.
Councils we work with in East Sussex
We work with 5 councils in East Sussex to help residents pass on what they no longer need, rather than putting it out with the waste. Read more about each:
Where we collect in East Sussex
We cover the whole of East Sussex — if you are on the map, we can collect from your doorstep.
Donate specific items across East Sussex
We collect from doorsteps in Brighton and the villages around it. Each town below has its own page, and you can go straight to the kind of donation you are making — every collection is free and we come to your door.
- Brightonbooks, clothes, household items, kitchenware, linen and towels, toys
Other counties we collect from
We run free doorstep collections right across the country. If you are outside this county, or you are arranging a collection for family elsewhere, pick the county below.
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Derbyshire
- Dorset
- Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Liverpool
- Merseyside
- Newcastle
- Norfolk
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- North Yorkshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Somerset
- South Glamorgan
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Yorkshire
Free collection, anywhere in East Sussex — and we come to your door.
Book a Free Charity Collection→