Why Old Bags Shouldn’t Go in the Bin

An old handbag or backpack in the household bin is lost for good, along with everything it took to make. Most bags people throw away still close, still carry and still have years left in them. Here is what happens to a bag in the bin, and how donating it gives it another life instead. If you’re ready to give, start with donate your bags and accessories.

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3 kgof CO2e saved for each kilo of bags reused instead of made new, by our estimate

2,500 litresof water saved for each kilo reused instead of made new, by our estimate

Where it goes

What happens to a bag in the household bin

Once the bin lorry takes it, a bag has two places to go. It is buried in landfill or burned at an incinerator, often to make electricity. Neither gets it back. Nobody sorts household rubbish looking for a good tote bag or a school rucksack that someone else could use.

So a purse with a stiff zip, a shoulder bag that has gone out of fashion, or a backpack a child has outgrown ends up in the same place as food scraps and packaging, and most of them could have been used again.

Out of sight

What happens to bags in landfill

Bags are made to be tough, so they don’t simply disappear once they are buried.

Synthetics barely break down

Nylon, polyester and faux leather are plastics made from oil. Many backpacks, rucksacks and handbags are made mostly of them. In landfill they can last a very long time.

Leather is made to last

Leather is tanned so that it resists rotting. That is what makes a good handbag last for years in use. It also means it is slow to break down once it is buried.

Zips, clasps and buckles go too

The metal and plastic fittings on a bag are buried with it. So are the dyes, coatings and glues used to colour, waterproof and hold it together.

Burned

What happens to bags that are burned

Burning a bag to make energy is better than burying it. But it still releases carbon, and it destroys a useful thing in a single moment. A clutch bag that took a factory hours to make is gone in seconds.

Hidden cost

The waste you can’t see

The biggest loss is everything that went into making the bag in the first place. There is the leather, cotton canvas or plastic fabric. There is the lining, the padding in a backpack’s straps, the zips and the buckles. Then there is the work of cutting, stitching and finishing every panel, and the energy and water used along the way.

When a usable bag is thrown away, all of that goes with it. Somewhere, a new bag has to be made to replace it.

The answer

How donating gives a bag another life

The simplest way to save what went into a bag is to keep using it. Every bag that goes into a collection van instead of the bin is a bag that can be carried again, and one less thing to burn or bury.

Tied bags of donations waiting on a doorstep for collection

Donate the bags that can be used again

Book a free collection, leave your bags out by 7am on the day and we take them from your doorstep. You don’t need to be in. See how do I donate my bags?

We sort them by hand

At our warehouse every donation is sorted by hand, and we pass on what can be used again. Most of what we collect is rehomed. Follow the journey on what happens to my bags?

Your charity benefits

You choose a charity when you book, and a large percentage of the proceeds goes to it. More on who do my bags help?

Reuse comes first because it saves the most. Why, and by how much, is on how does donating bags help the planet?, and you can see roughly what your own bags could save with our green calculator.

The simple test

Is your bag good enough to give?

If it’s clean and in good condition, free from damage, holes or stains, someone else can use it. You don’t need to judge more than that. The sorting after collection sends each bag where it will do the most good.

A handbag that is a little scuffed, a purse you never got round to using, or a plain backpack from school are all worth giving. A bag with a broken strap or a torn lining is harder to pass on, so it is worth mending first if you can. Check the full list on what bags and accessories can I donate?, and old favourites have their own page: handbags and purses.

Handbags, hats and accessories laid out ready to donate

Not just bags

It isn’t only bags

The same goes for the smaller things that tend to get thrown out during a clear-out. Accessories take real materials and work to make too, and they are often binned while still perfectly usable.

Belts and ties
Hats, caps and beanies
Scarves and gloves
Jewellery and watches
Sunglasses and reading glasses (non-prescription)
Purses and clutch bags

The test stays the same for all of them: if it’s clean and someone else could use it, it belongs in the donation bag, not the bin. You can see everything else we take on what we collect.

Let your bags carry one last load. Use the bags you’re donating to pack your other donations in. It saves space and plastic. Make sure they’re closed securely and easy to carry, and label them “Anglo Doorstep Collections” so our driver knows they’re for us.

Every day