---
title: "What goes to donate or reuse"
description: "8 things that belong in donate or reuse, with why each one goes there and what happens if it goes elsewhere."
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/donate-reuse/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What goes to donate or reuse

8 things that belong in donate or reuse.

| Item | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Clothes and textiles | Wearable: charity shop or clothing bank. Worn out: still the textile bank — damaged clothes are sorted for fibre and rag, not landfill. |
| Furniture (sofas, wardrobes, tables) | Reuse first — charities collect free. Otherwise a bulky collection or the household waste centre. |
| Shoes and trainers | Pair them, tie them together, and put them in a shoe or textile bank. Never in the bin. |
| Duvets and pillows | Not the textile bank. Animal shelters take clean ones; otherwise household waste centre or general waste. |
| Books | Charity shop, book bank or a street library. Paperbacks are recyclable as paper; hardbacks need the boards removing. |
| CDs, DVDs and cases | Not kerbside recyclable. Donate playable discs; the polycarbonate needs a specialist and the cases are usually accepted separately. |
| Spectacles | Opticians and charity collection boxes. Frames are reused, not shredded. |
| Wine corks | Natural cork composts and there are collection schemes for it. Plastic "corks" go in general waste. |

- [Clothes and textiles](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/textiles/) — Wearable: charity shop or clothing bank. Worn out: still the textile bank — damaged clothes are sorted for fibre and rag, not landfill.
- [Furniture (sofas, wardrobes, tables)](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/furniture/) — Reuse first — charities collect free. Otherwise a bulky collection or the household waste centre.
- [Shoes and trainers](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/shoes/) — Pair them, tie them together, and put them in a shoe or textile bank. Never in the bin.
- [Duvets and pillows](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/duvets-pillows/) — Not the textile bank. Animal shelters take clean ones; otherwise household waste centre or general waste.
- [Books](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/books/) — Charity shop, book bank or a street library. Paperbacks are recyclable as paper; hardbacks need the boards removing.
- [CDs, DVDs and cases](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cds-dvds/) — Not kerbside recyclable. Donate playable discs; the polycarbonate needs a specialist and the cases are usually accepted separately.
- [Spectacles](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/spectacles/) — Opticians and charity collection boxes. Frames are reused, not shredded.
- [Wine corks](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cork/) — Natural cork composts and there are collection schemes for it. Plastic "corks" go in general waste.