How to Donate Toys From Home: A Step-by-Step Guide
You can donate toys to charity without leaving the house. Our free doorstep toy collection picks them up from your home, and the whole thing takes about as long as tidying the toy box. Here is how to donate toys from home, one step at a time.
- Six simple steps
- Bags out by 7am
- No need to be in
Step by step
How to donate toys from home
Sort out what you’re giving
Go through the toy box and pull out the kids’ toys nobody plays with any more. Soft toys, wooden and plastic toys, building blocks, action figures, bath toys and musical toys are all welcome. A few things can’t go in a bag, such as doll houses, ride-on toys, board games, jigsaws and other bulky toys. Check what toys can I donate? before you start.
Check they’re in good condition
We want your toys to be played with again, so they need to be clean and in good condition, not broken or damaged. A quick wipe down is all most toys need. Teddies and other soft toys should be clean and dry. There is more on these on soft toys and teddies.
Pack them up
- Use strong bags, or boxes a driver can lift, and tie or close them.
- Bag small pieces together so sets stay whole: building blocks in one bag, a figure and its accessories in another.
- Put all the pieces of a set in the same bag, so the next child gets the whole thing.
- Soft toys can go in their own bag, to keep them clean.
- Keep anything that isn’t a toy, such as books or clothes, in a separate bag or box.
Giving away a big box of bricks? Read how to donate Lego from home.
Book your collection
Book online. Enter your postcode and you’ll see the dates we are collecting near you. Then:
- Pick a date. Tomorrow’s collections stay open until 4pm today, if we are near you tomorrow.
- Tell us where your donations will be: on the doorstep, in the porch, with a concierge, or somewhere else you describe.
- Tell us if there will be more than 20 bags or boxes, so we can make sure the van has room.
- Choose your charity: RSPCA, Action for Children, Together for Short Lives or Advance, or plant trees with Ecologi.
You’ll get a confirmation email straight away with a link to manage your booking.
The evening before
We email you an estimated arrival window for the next day, with a link to follow the driver on a live map.
Collection day
Put your bags out by 7am. You don’t need to be at home. The driver picks them up, and we let you know once your donation has been collected.
Changing or cancelling
Move your collection to another date or cancel it with the “Manage my booking” link in your confirmation email, by signing in to My Account, or in the Anglo Doorstep app.
What happens next
Your toys go back to our warehouse, where we sort them by hand and pass on what can be played with again. Follow the whole journey on what happens to my toys.
Worth the effort
Why donate your toys this way
It helps children and the planet
Toys your children have outgrown can be played with by another child. They raise money for your chosen charity, and a large percentage of the proceeds goes to it. Read who do my toys help? and how donating toys helps the planet.
A clearer home
Toys pile up quickly, and kids grow up quicker. A sorted toy box makes room for what they love now, and it feels better knowing the rest is going somewhere useful.
We come to you, regularly
We collect across most of England and South Wales, visiting towns and cities often, so you can donate when it suits you. See the areas we cover.
Curious what your clear-out could save? Try the toy donation green calculator.
Ready to donate your toys?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.