What Toys Can I Donate? What We Collect and Don’t
The simple test for any toy is this: if it’s clean, in one piece and a child could play with it tomorrow, we’ll take it. Soft toys, dolls, action figures, toy cars and building bricks all pass easily. Here is what our free doorstep toy collection takes, the few things we can’t, and why.
Soft toys
Teddies and cuddly toys.
Dolls and figures
Dolls and action figures.
Toy cars
And other small vehicles.
Building bricks
Lego, Duplo and blocks.
Welcome in your bags
Toys we collect
We take most of the small children’s toys that fill a toy box or a playroom shelf, including:
- Soft toys and teddies
- Dolls and action figures
- Toy cars, trains and other small vehicles
- Building bricks and blocks, such as Lego and Duplo
- Wooden, plastic and metal toys
- Bath toys
- Musical toys
- Educational toys
A few kinds of toy have their own page:
Soft toys and teddies
Clean, dry and with no loose eyes or stuffing coming out. More on donating soft toys.
Lego and building bricks
Loose bricks are fine. Tie them in a small bag inside the main one so they don’t scatter. More on donating Lego.
Games consoles and video games
Not toys exactly, but people often ask. Consoles, controllers and game discs can go in the same collection.
Please leave out
Toys we can’t take, and why
There are only a few, and each has a reason. We only collect things another child can use and that fit in a bag a driver can lift. Anything that can’t be reused costs money to get rid of, and that money should be going to charity.
Board games and jigsaws
A game or puzzle with one piece missing can’t be played, and there is no way for us to check every piece is there.
Instead: pass them to friends or family, or offer complete ones to a local charity shop or playgroup.
Doll houses
They are too big and fragile to travel safely in a bag.
Instead: a nursery, playgroup or a family you know with younger children.
Ride-on toys
Scooters, trikes, rockers and other ride-ons won’t fit in a bag.
Instead: a local reuse group or community sharing site, where someone nearby can collect them.
Ball pits and play gyms
They are bulky and awkward, and won’t go in a bag a driver can lift.
Instead: friends, family or a local reuse group.
Baby swings and baby bouncers
For the same reason: they are too big and awkward for a bag.
Instead: pass them to a family you know, or a local reuse group.
Other bulky toys
Play kitchens, large playhouses and anything else too big to bag up.
Instead: a local reuse group, or your council’s household recycling centre if it can’t be used again.
Broken or damaged toys
Toys with missing parts, cracks or sharp edges can’t be played with safely again.
Instead: your local household recycling centre.
The full list of everything we can and can’t collect is on what we collect.
Before you bag up
Is it good enough to donate?
Is it clean?
Wipe down plastic toys and wash soft toys that need it.
Is it dry?
All the way through. A damp teddy goes mouldy in a tied bag.
Is it in one piece?
No cracks, sharp edges or missing parts a child would need to play with it.
Would you give it to a friend’s child?
If yes, it’s ready to go.
Toys don’t need to look new. Scuffs and signs of play are fine. What matters is that a child could pick it up and enjoy it straight away.
Bags, not plastic boxes. Pack your toys in strong, tied bags. We can’t take plastic storage boxes or containers, so empty the toy box into a bag and keep the box.
Past playing with?
What about toys that are broken?
Please don’t put them in your donation bags, but think twice before putting them in the bin. Many household recycling centres have a place for hard plastics, metal or small electricals, so a broken toy can often be recycled rather than thrown away. Why passing toys on beats the bin is on why old toys shouldn’t go in the bin, and what it saves is on how donating toys helps the planet.
Ready to bag up? Our step-by-step guide, how to donate toys from home, covers booking, packing and the day itself. Once they leave your doorstep, we sort them by hand at our warehouse and pass on what can be played with again: see what happens to my toys.
Ready to donate your toys?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.