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Door to Door Recycling Drives

Info

For Charity? For Profit? 

Door to Door recycling drives may be organised by a charity but often are just being conducted by public waste collectors.

Some charities raise funds by hiring a Karung Guni to collect recyclables door to door on their behalf and they then take some of the profits from the collection. 

Usually a flyer is distributed announcing the items wanted, the date of collection, and the beneficiary organisation. The flyer should also include the fundraising permit number when collection is for a charity.

Annoying?

The most common complaint with this service is that they do not collect what they say they will. See Accepted Items below for more info.

Scam?

There have been some reports of people distributing flyers with misleading or fraudulent information, falsely claiming to represent charities or using other dishonest tactics. This has caused some community members to become suspicious of these fundraising efforts.

It is, however, easy to verify the authenticity of these drives.

Whenever a collection is made for charitable purposes, the organization must ALWAYS have a valid fundraising permit. To confirm that the collection is a legitimate fundraiser, you can search for the permit number here. It's important to double-check that the permit number matches the location and dates of the collection.

Please note that sometimes, companies conducting for-profit door-to-door collections might use similar notices.

For more information search the Charities Portal here for valid Fundraising Permits and see their info on Safer Giving.

Accepted Items

Warning: they often do not collect what they say they will

We have had MANY reports from our community that they have received a notice of collection, then on collection day nothing is collected or the karung guni has only taken some of the items. 

They will not take plastic or glass regardless of what it says on the collection notice. Many do not even take metal (excuse given is that it is too contaminated).

Paper and clothes are still mostly collected however we advise that you DO NOT GIVE THEM CLOTHES due to risk of incineration. 

Please put old clothes in a Cloop Lifeline bin as it is much more likely to be recycled.

What is accepted may vary from time to time but often include

  • Paper
    • Books
    • Newspaper
    • Magazines & Glossy Paper
  • Textiles in Good Condition
    • Clothes & Shoes
    • Bedsheets & Linen
  • Small appliances

Our Recommendation

Because of the number and frequency of complaints about these services, we recommend that you find other options for recycling your stuff. If you don't mind being disappointed, then they are probably OK for paper recycling. Do not use them for clothes.

Last Updated: Aug 6, 2024