Decluttering your home and looking to donate pre-loved goods in Sydney? Hoping to rehome items to reduce landfill? Look no further! We’ve put together the ultimate guide to giving, so you can KonMari your home with greater responsibility.
Charity bins across Australia have been overwhelmed, with many goods piling up outside bins, rendering them unusable and unsaleable. It’s important when donating to be mindful of how it will be used again. If you wouldn’t happily hand down the item to a friend or family member, then it might be served better recycled or re-homed elsewhere.
Browse different places to donate the following items:
- General (a variety of things accepted)
- Clothes
- Towels & bedding
- Books, CDs, DVDs and Stationary
- Baby equipment & kids’ toys
- Homewares & electronics
Large Donation Spots
Charity bins are a great spot to donate pre-loved (but good quality) clothes. Just make sure you read the individual bins and only donate stuff that they request… and if the bins are full, don’t dump your belongings next to them.
To find the nearest locations, click on the links below:
Local Freecycling and Recycling Facebook Groups
- The Movement Sydney
- Upper North Shore Free and Recycle It
- Upper North Shore Freebies
- Northern Beaches Freebies
- Hornsby Freecycle
- Willoughby area buy, swap, sell and free (Sydney)
Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Women’s Shelter has a big wish list of items that they need, so please get in touch to find out more. They have very limited storage, so can only accept particular items at certain times. Follow them on Facebook for latest news including updates about their Wish List.
Where to donate clothes
Find places to donate or recycle clothes depending on the item or charity you want to support
Dress for Success is a charity that helps improve the employability of women in need. Help to empower women and find employment by donating good quality business and interview quality attire, shoes, jewellery, scarves, handbags (briefcases, portfolios, etc) unopened toiletries, and unopened makeup.
They are very limited for space and kindly require ‘as new’ quality items for our clients and fundraising sales. They would appreciate as new or brand-new items only; high–end/designer and luxury brand names including athleisure and multipurpose appropriate work clothing and accessories; and high-quality designer, costume and fine jewellery.
Drop off days for Sydney branch – no pre booking required, just turn up!
Lot 1, Inner West Sustainability Hub, 7 Prospect Rd, Summer Hill NSW
- Mondays from 10am – 2pm
- Saturdays from 9am – 12pm
Shoes for Planet Earth is a charity that provides running shoes to those in need around the world. There are drop-off points across Sydney, including Mosman, Manly, Castle Hill and more.
Supporting local women’s shelters like Mary’s House Services helps women and children fleeing domestic violence. Many accept items such as clean clothes, toiletries, bedding and essential household items, but please check each organisation’s current wish list or contact them directly for their exact needs and drop‑off arrangements.
Hospitals: Many hospitals are also set up to receive donations of baby clothes – especially for premature babies in NICU. At Royal North Shore Hospital, you simply phone up the NICU and they will direct you on how you can donate.
Local Daycares are often looking for spare clothes to provide for the children when needed. A great place for unsaleable clothes to get a second life.
King Cotton coordinates the recycling and reuse of clothing in Australia. Collection bins are located across the North Shore, including Macquarie Park, Hornsby, Chatswood, and Ryde.
Where to donate Towels & Bedding
Annual Welfare League NSW: is a non-profit working to provide all companion animals a loving home through rehoming, education and discount desexing programs. You can help the organisation by donating blankets, shees and towels along with snuffle mats, puppy pads, training aids and more.
Drop off location: Kemps Creek Shelter, 1605 Elizabeth Drive, Kemps Creek. Call (02) 8899 3333 to discuss possible drop-offs at local branches.
Local vets: Many local vets would gladly accept your old towels and bedding for their practice.
Where to donate Books, CDs, DVDs & Stationery
Street Libraries: is a community initiative helping people share the joy of reading by sharing books with others in the area. Libraries are often located in local parks and offer those in the community to enjoy a book for free and pay it forward to someone else. Click here to find the closest street library near your suburb.
Local libraries also love getting donations of books. If they’re not suitable for loaning, they will sell them and put the funds back into purchasing other books for the library.
North Shore Mums Smiles2U is a local organisation started by three North Shore Mums, who create and deliver care packages to sick children and their families at the hospital. The organisation accepts unused colouring-in books, pencils, stickers, and craft items for care packages. Find your nearest drop off point.
Local hospitals and doctor surgeries will often accept old magazines for patient waiting rooms.
Where to donate Baby Equipment & Kids Toys
Discover where your pre-loved toys can find their next home.
Dandelion Support Network: supports vulnerable families by providing much-needed goods such as all baby goods (baths, bottles, bassinets/cribs/beds, breast pumps, breast pads, car capsules, etc), toys, CDs & DVDs for children, decor and more. Dandelion is now offering a pickup service to collect goods from your door. They charge you a small fee to cover the cost of this service, and this varies depending on location and size of the goods.
Donating to Joy of Giving is a wonderful way to keep preloved toys, books, and games out of landfill. Just make sure they are clean, complete, and in working condition (including new batteries if required). You can drop them off in Crows Nest (382 Pacific Hwy) during opening hours or register online to arrange courier collection or toy drive drop-off.
Cuddle Bundles gratefully accepts pre‑loved baby clothing and essentials (newborn to 2 years) in excellent condition, including items like wraps, blankets, toys, books, feeding gear, prams, car seats, bassinets and hygiene products. These can be dropped off at locations across Sydney, including North Sydney.
Local playgroups: a great place to donate pre-loved goods Sydney. Playgroups often use pre-loved toys for their groups and some may gladly accept your donations.
Where to donate Homewares & Electronics
Support a charity that will make best use of your pre-loved homewares
The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre aims to reduce landfill by repairing, recycling and reselling items to support survivors of domestic abuse, including Wagec, Mary’s House, Bonnie and Mission Parramatta. It also provides free household goods to Refugees and asylum seekers.
It is preferred that you drop off in Marrickville, but there is also a free collection service for household furniture, bikes, building materials, bric-a-brac and books in good condition. You request pick-up via the web booking tool.
Women and Girls’ Emergency Centre accept laptops, tablets and iPhones, All technology must be able to turn on, have no cracked screens and include a charger. To donate today, email [email protected]
