Half of donated textiles and dishes become waste at Vaasa shop

About half of the dishes and textiles donated to the Finnish Red Cross recycling shop in Vaasa cannot be sold and become waste, Yle reports. Most donated furniture, by contrast, is usable and goes on sale.

Staff must inspect donations one by one, and the Red Cross pays to transport and dispose of items it cannot sell. The work and waste fees take time and money away from the charity’s other activities, says Maarit Rintamäki, the shop’s regional manager.

Most unsellable items are discarded. Some intact dishes that are difficult to sell have gone to a local rage room, while buttons and other usable parts have been removed from clothes for separate sale. The rest ends up in landfill, with the Red Cross covering the cost.

Rintamäki says some donors believe worn items can be given a new life, while others bring goods they know are unsuitable. Bags have sometimes contained moving waste and even food scraps.

Her rule of thumb for donations is to ask whether you would buy the item yourself at a second-hand shop. Goods should be clean, intact and functional. Clothes should be washed, and items that remain dirty or are badly pilled are unlikely to sell. The Red Cross also does not sell fast-fashion items, Rintamäki says.

SPR ReShop is the Finnish Red Cross’s recycling shop chain in the West Finland district. It has six outlets in Jyväskylä, Seinäjoki, Vaasa and Kokkola.