How Donating Electricals Helps People and Charities
A working kettle or hairdryer that has simply been replaced still has plenty of use left in it, and it could be a real help to another household. Understanding how donating electricals helps shows that a simple clear-out can support people, raise money for charity and reduce waste. This guide from Anglo Doorstep Collections explains the difference your donated small electricals make.
- People who use them next
- Your chosen charity
- Local jobs
- Less waste
1 · People
Where your donated electricals go
Small electrical items are practical, in demand and easy to pass on. They are often replaced long before they stop working, and a free doorstep collection means you can donate them without a special trip anywhere.
When you donate small electricals through our free doorstep collection service, they are taken back to our warehouse and sorted by hand. From there, we pass on the working items that can be used again, to people who need and want them. A kettle, a toaster or a hairdryer that you no longer use becomes a practical, everyday help for someone else.
This keeps working appliances in use rather than in landfill. Useful household electricals are always in demand, so the items from one clear-out can make a genuine difference well beyond your home. The journey from your doorstep is on what happens to my electricals?
Everyday essentials
Practical, everyday help
Small electricals make daily life easier. A kettle, a toaster, an iron or a hairdryer are simple things, but they matter, and buying them new adds up quickly for anyone setting up or restocking a home. Passing on the appliances you no longer need helps make those practical essentials available to others.
Clearing out spare or replaced electricals also tidies cupboards and worktops, and it is far better for a working appliance to keep doing its job than to sit unused or end up in a bin.
The kitchen basics
A kettle, a toaster or a blender is something every home needs. For a household on a tight budget, getting one for less frees up money for other things.
Setting up a home
Anyone moving into a first flat or starting again needs the same small appliances at once. Second-hand gadgets in good working order make that a lot easier.
Staying connected
A working phone, tablet or laptop helps someone keep in touch, study or look for work. Clear your data first: see old phones, tablets and laptops.
2 · Charity
How donating electricals supports charity
Donated electricals also raise money for good causes. A large percentage of the proceeds from the items we collect goes to our partnered charities, which include Action for Children, Advance, the RSPCA and Together for Short Lives. You choose which one when you book. When you book a collection you can also choose to have a tree planted through Ecologi.
So a working appliance does two jobs at once. The item goes on to be used again, and the proceeds become real support for children, families, animals and the environment.
RSPCA
Rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in need, and campaigning for stronger animal protection. Support the RSPCA.
Action for Children
Making sure children don’t miss out on a safe and happy childhood, with services in communities, schools and online across the UK.
Together for Short Lives
Supporting seriously ill children and their families, so every child with a life-limiting condition gets the best possible care.
Advance
A women-only charity offering free, confidential emotional and practical support, including urgent help for women in crisis.
3 · Jobs
Local jobs behind every collection
Every gadget you give is work for real people. A free collection only happens because there is a team behind it, close to where you live.
The drivers on your street
Our drivers collect from homes on pre-booked routes, planned by postcode and date, and pick up your bags or boxes from the doorstep.
The team at our warehouse
Every donation is sorted by hand at our warehouse, where the team checks what can be used again and gets it ready to pass on.
Before collection day
A quick check before you donate
Small electricals are most useful when they are passed on safe and complete, so a quick check before collection day is well worth the few minutes it takes. Confirm that the item switches on and works as it should, look over the cable and plug for any fraying or damage, and gather up any leads, attachments or accessories that belong with it.
Give the appliance a wipe so it is clean and presentable, and set aside anything that is broken, unsafe or no longer working, as those items cannot be passed on for reuse. This simple check makes sure the electricals that reach another household are ready to be plugged in and used straight away, which is exactly what makes them such a worthwhile donation.
Packing it up. Put your electricals in bags or boxes a driver can lift, and leave them out by 7am on your collection day. You don’t need to be in. The full step-by-step is on how do I donate my electricals?
4 · The planet
The environmental side of donating electricals
Electrical items are relatively resource-intensive to produce, made from a complex mix of metals, plastics and components. Electrical waste is also one of the fastest-growing waste streams: the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2024 found that 62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced worldwide in 2022, up 82% from 2010. Donating a working appliance keeps it in use, avoids that waste and removes the need for another to be manufactured. It is one of the most worthwhile forms of reuse, because so much value is kept intact.
We estimate that every kilo of small electricals used again instead of made new saves around 5 kg of CO2e. Try the green calculator for an estimate of what your clear-out could save, and read more on how donating electricals helps the planet.
Sources: Material Focus, Electrical Waste: Challenges and Opportunities (2024); UN Global E-waste Monitor 2024, reported by Sustainability Beat.
What to give
What electricals you can donate
Small, portable appliances in safe working order are welcome, including kettles, toasters, irons, radios, hairdryers and blenders. The key requirements are simple: the item should switch on, work safely and come complete with its leads and accessories, because it will be re-homed for genuine reuse. Anything damaged, unsafe or with frayed wiring is better kept separate, as it cannot be passed on for reuse.
The full list of what we take and what we can’t is on what electricals can I donate?, and you can give other things in the same collection too: see everything we collect.
Areas we cover
Where we collect small electricals
We collect from homes across most of England and South Wales. Enter your postcode when you book to see your next dates, or find your area on areas we cover. Many councils work with us too: see council partnerships.
Some of the main areas we collect from:
- Bath
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Leeds
- London
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Southampton
- York and Yorkshire
Related reading
Related reading
To learn more about how your donations help and the difference reuse makes, explore the guides below.
- What we collect and how your donations help
- How donating kitchenware helps
- How donating DVDs and media helps
- Electrical waste (WEEE) and why reuse matters
- Upcycling: a new life for your unwanted items
More answers are on our frequently asked questions page.
Ready to give
Donate your small electricals today
Donating small electricals is a simple way to help people, support charity and reduce waste, all from one easy collection. The working appliances you no longer need can go on to help another household while doing good along the way.
If you have working small electricals ready to pass on, browse our Charity Collections Near You page and book a free doorstep collection. Set everything aside with its leads, leave it out on the day, and we will take care of the rest.
Ready to donate your small electricals?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.