Donate Bags and Accessories: Free Doorstep Collection
Free UK doorstep accessories collection
Donate your bags, hats & accessories – collected free from your door
Got bags, hats or accessories you no longer want? Let them help someone who needs them. Our collections are free, simple and flexible, and we collect across most of England and South Wales – with the proceeds raising money for a charity of your choice. You don’t need to be in, and a large percentage of the proceeds goes to the charity you choose.
- 100% free
- No need to be home
- You choose the charity
- Most donations re-homed
Wardrobes and waste
Why your unused accessories matter
Our wardrobes are full of things we don’t use – and too much of it ends up in landfill.
- Textile waste ends up in UK landfill every year, as the UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee has reported.
- The average person in the UK owns 118 items of clothing, and a quarter of them haven’t been used in the past year, according to WRAP research reported by Recycling International (2022 figure).
- Huge numbers of unworn items are sitting in UK wardrobes, WRAP has found.
- 49% of all used textiles in the UK were put in the rubbish bin rather than reused or recycled, WRAP reports (2021 figure).
A handbag at the back of a cupboard or a rucksack nobody takes out any more could still be used by someone else. Passing it on keeps it in use and out of the bin. Why that matters is on why shouldn’t old bags go in the bin?
Sources: UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee (2019), WRAP (2022), WRAP (2024), Recycling International (2022).
What we take
What Bags and Accessories Can We Collect?
We aim to re-home as many of the items you donate as we can, so they can carry on being used and stay out of landfill. Everything should be in good condition, free from damage, holes or stains.
You can donate:
- Handbags
- Backpacks
- School bags (unbranded)
- Tote bags
- Purses
- Hold-alls
- Jewellery
- Belts
- Scarves & gloves
- Ties
- Watches
- Coats & jackets
- Winter hats
- Summer hats
- Sunglasses
- Reading glasses (non-prescription)
- Baseball caps
- Beanies
We can’t take
- Suitcases
- Prescription glasses
- Sleeping bags
- Anything with a name on it
- Wet, torn or badly damaged bags and accessories
The full list, and what condition is fine: what bags and accessories can I donate?
Old handbags, purses and clutch bags are among the most useful things you can give. There’s more on donating handbags and purses.
We also collect a wide range of clothing & household items. See everything we can collect.
Top tips
Top Tips on Donating Your Bags & Accessories
Use your bags to pack donations in
Use the bags you’re donating to pack other donations in – it saves space and plastic bags! We’re not fussy how donations are packed as long as they’re secure and easy to carry. Label them “Anglo Doorstep Collections” so our collectors know they’re for them.
Pack winter accessories together
Winter accessories & clothing are sorted and re-homed in colder countries such as Ukraine. Pack your winter coats, scarves, hats & gloves together so they can be shipped quickly to where they’re needed most.
How it works
How To Donate Your Bags, Hats and Accessories With Us
Our booking process takes less than 5 minutes! Once you’ve chosen your collection date, you can track our driver live on the day to see exactly when they’ll arrive.
Book a date
Fill out a few details and select a date we’re collecting in your area. Choose the charity you’d like to support. It’s free.
Pack securely
Pack your donations into any bag or box, making sure they’re secure. Tie bags closed and keep boxes to a size a driver can lift.
Leave them out by 7am
On the doorstep, in the porch, or wherever you told us when you booked. You don’t need to be at home.
Track & collect
The evening before, we email you an estimated arrival window and a link to follow the driver. Track our driver live and we’ll collect your donations right from your doorstep.
We donate
We distribute your donations and donate a large percentage of the proceeds to your chosen charity.
The full walk-through, with packing tips, is on how do I donate my bags?
After collection
What Happens to Your Donated Bags, Hats and Accessories?
Most of our donations get re-homed, so your things are very likely to be used again. That’s why we ask that everything is in good condition, free from damage, holes or stains.
Sorted and sent to their new home
At our warehouse your donations are sorted by hand and made ready for their next chapter – plastic bags are reused as protective packaging and all cardboard is recycled. Items then go to destinations across the UK and worldwide, where they’re sold at low cost to people who can’t afford essentials like bags and warm hats brand new.
Donating the proceeds to charity
A large percentage of the proceeds goes to the charity you choose. Read more about our partner charities.
Follow the whole journey on what happens to my bags?, and see who your donation helps on who do my bags help?
Environment
Protecting the Environment
Donating unwanted bags, hats and accessories doesn’t just help people in need and our charity partners – it’s good for the planet too. Every year, the UK sends a great deal of textile waste to landfill (UK Parliament, 2019), and many of those items could still be reused.
Reusing household items also saves the CO2 that factories would produce making new products. We estimate that every kilo of bags and accessories used again instead of made new saves around 3 kg of CO2e and 2,500 litres of water.
Why using a bag again beats making a new one is on how does donating bags help the planet?, and you can see roughly what your own clear-out could save with our green calculator.
Why donate with us
Why donate your bags and accessories with us?
Free, and you don’t leave home
No trip to the shops with a carrier full of handbags and belts. Leave your donations out and get on with your day. There’s no fee for a collection, ever.
Most of it is used again
Every bag is sorted by hand at our warehouse, and what can be used again is passed on. See the journey.
You choose the charity
RSPCA, Action for Children, Together for Short Lives or Advance, or plant trees with Ecologi. A large percentage of the proceeds goes to your chosen cause.
Recognised for what we do
Anglo Recycling, the company behind Anglo Doorstep Collections, was named Best Clothes Recycling Enterprise 2023 in the Southern Enterprise Awards.
Our partners
Supporting Our Partner Charities
All our partner charities are based and operate in the UK, supporting vital causes close to home. Choose one when you book – or plant trees with Ecologi:
Together for Short Lives
A children’s palliative care charity, supporting the families of children with life-limiting conditions.
Or choose Ecologi instead, and your donation plants trees to help reforest our planet.
Coverage
Where Can We Collect Bag, Hat & Accessory Donations Near You?
Finding donation drop-offs can be a hassle – especially when different items go to different places. We collect everything you want to donate straight from your doorstep. Most areas have a collection every week or every fortnight. Enter your postcode when you book to see your next dates.
Many councils also work with us, so your council’s own website may point you our way. You can read how those partnerships work on council partnerships.
Here are some of the main areas we cover:
Questions
Questions people ask about donating bags and accessories
Do I need to be at home?
No. Leave your donations out by 7am on your collection day and the driver will pick them up. If they can’t be left outside, you can tell us when you book that they’re in the porch, or ask the driver to knock.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no charge for a collection. We pay for it from the sale of what we collect, and a large percentage of the proceeds goes to the charity you choose.
Can I donate a suitcase?
No, we can’t take suitcases. Handbags, backpacks, rucksacks, tote bags, shoulder bags, hold-alls and purses are all welcome.
Does my handbag need to be in perfect condition?
It needs to be in good condition, free from damage, holes or stains, so someone else can use it. A little wear is fine. Broken straps, torn linings or a bag that has got wet are not. More on what condition is fine.
How many bags can I put out?
As many as you have from a normal clear-out. If you have more than 20 bags or boxes, tell us when you book so we can make sure the van has room.
What if it rains?
Use strong bags and tie them closed, or leave them in a porch if you have one. Wet things can’t be used again and spoil everything packed with them, so keeping them dry really matters.
Can I book a collection for tomorrow?
If we are collecting near you tomorrow, yes. Tomorrow’s collections stay open until 4pm today. Enter your postcode on the booking page to see your dates.
Can I change or cancel my collection?
Yes. Use the “Manage my booking” link in your confirmation email, sign in to My Account, or use the Anglo Doorstep app.
More answers are on our frequently asked questions page.
Ready to donate your bags and accessories?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.