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I got a flyer through the post that has pissed me off a bit. From someone saying that they will collect old tat from the front of the house on Friday that is left in black bag. This will get shipped across to give to the needy in Africa. They must think people are idiots. The flyer did say that they are not a charity, however I now feel that I should make sure I have nothing loose lying about the front of my house on Friday that may inadvertently end up in the back of a transit van. Makes we want to leave a bag of raw sewage or something similar.
I don't think the "needy in Africa" need raw sewage. But apart from that not a bad idea.
and destroying local textile manufacturing. Quite a few African countries are banning the import of used clothes from Europe.
Guys. I am not as pissed off as the post portrays. Just a little annoyed. I only have sewage on the brain as I had to dig out the draining rods and rubber gloves tonight to solve a slight problem but that is another issue entirely!
Any situation which requires drain rods and rubber gloves sounds more serious than a "slight problem".
Ernie. I could have started another thread about good neighbourly spirit. Won't go into grizly detail but a friendly neighbour provided the rods and some elbow grease to help unblock my drain. I felt quite guilty when all I gave him in return was a case of San Miguel.
Ah, the horrors of blocked drains. Sometimes I think that getting rid of open sewers has caused more problems than it's worth. But try telling that to so-called poor Africans.
athgray - send the flyer to your local Trading Standards office (part of your local council), ideally before the collection date.
We get at least one "charity bag" through the door every week. 👿
We never put anything in any of them. At best they are private companies making a profit by collecting for charities. At worst they are complete cons and the clothes are sold on (for recycling) and the money pocketed with the charity receiving nothing or a token amount.
Far better to donate directly to charity shops, local jumble sales etc.
A guy that used to work for me got into the recycled textile game with his old man. He reconned it was a massive con and the profits were obscene.
I work from home quite often a every day several battered vans come into the cul-de-sac looking for the bags. I dont think they've ever picked one up. Occasionally we put clothes a bag from one of the geniune charities but I prefer to take unwanted clothes to an actual charity shop, for a local charity. The non charity ones boil my piss - how deperate do you need to be to accept 50p per kg of clothes rather than give them to charity!
The advantage of charity bags through the door, I have found, is that one never has to buy bin-bags.
Two ways.
Give DIRECT to the charity. I'll never support the industry that preys on real charity.
or
Be charitable in your community, to others and go out of your way to help people. There will be elderly people living alone waiting for death. What an awful existence. There must be local group(s) that you/we can join to help them.
send the flyer to your local Trading Standards office
Well since according to the OP they have covered their arses by making clear that they aren't a charity, I can't see what Trading Standards can do about it - surely it's not illegal to ask people to donate to your business ?
Ernie - TS tend to be interested in these sort of businesses. You're right that soliciting donations to a business isn't illegal, but the vast majority of legit organisations that rely on donations don't drive around collecting bags left outside houses.
It's just a more useful way of raising a concern than the raw sewage method.
Occasionally we put clothes a bag from one of the geniune charities
Read the bags carefully! The may be apparently from a genuine registered charity but most of the bags have fine print admitting they are private company - which makes a tidy profit and donates an unspecified amount to charity x.
They'll be doing it because you make good money from selling the clothing etc.
We did a recent bag drop for the local Scout group - in one morning collecting bags of clothes, blankets, curtains etc in our village and selling them to a local company who pay by the kilo, we made £300 - that's for about 2-3 hours work.
That's why Romanians etc have been going round in vans swiping the charity bags left outside for collection.