Moving Out Made Meaningful: A Guide to Donating Food and Household Goods

It’s the end of the academic year, final hand-ins have been done and it’s now time to pack up your house. 

This is a perfect opportunity to get in some good deeds and positively impact the community around you whilst saving yourself having to take home your unwanted items and food you’ve accumulated over the years. 

By donating your household goods and dried food, you are not only helping those in need within the community, you are also helping reduce waste and promote sustainability for the environment.

What food can you donate? 

If you have any left over:

• Tinned Fruit
• Tinned Tomatoes
• UHT Milk
• Powdered Milk
• Rice Pudding (Tinned)
• Fruit Juice (Carton)
• Biscuits (Sweet And Savoury)
• Pasta & Pasta Sauces
• Cereals
• Beans
• Tea Bags
• Instant Coffee
• Tinned Meat
• Tinned Fish
• Sweet Treats

Where can food be donated?

The above items can be donated at multiple donation points across the city including:

The above centres also collect non food related products if unopened and unused, these are:

• Shower Gel
• Shampoo
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Sanitary Towels
• Toilet Rolls

Along with this Frozen, chilled and non-perishable food, for meals and food parcels can be donated to The LifeHouse (PO4 0JW) and long-lasting food to The Haven Community Centre food bank (PO1 4HA). 

Simple donation tips:

Quality Over Quantity: Ensure that donated items are in good condition and useful.

Keep it Clean: Wash items well before donating.

Proper Packing: How to pack items securely for transportation to donation centres.

Labelling: Clearly label boxes with the type of items for easier sorting at donation centres.

Recycling

Some items are not donatable but rather than throwing them in the general waste recycle them! 

Recyclable items in Portsmouth are:

Everything must be:

Clean (no food stains, grease, dirt on…)

Dry (no wet item or items with liquids in)

Loose (don’t bag them, and don’t put items inside each other)

There are also places located across the city that accept items not listed above to be recycled, these include:

• Shopping Bags and Bags For Life – Hive Portsmouth, Ground Floor, Portsmouth Central Library
• Postage stamps and used ink cartridges – Drayton and Farlington Action Group, 282 Havant Road, Drayton, PO6 1PA
• Batteries – Lidl, Fratton
• Tetra-paks and juice cartons – ASDA, Fratton
• Milk bottle tops – Solent MS Therapy Centre, PO2 0QP
• Brita Water filters and batteries – Waitrose Southsea
• Posting stamps – CRY Southsea
• Baby food pouches, Biscuit wrappers, Cheese packaging, Dry colour cosmetics, Ink cartridges, Mascara tubes & wands, Oral hygiene packaging, Personal care + beauty, Plastic milk bottle tops, Blister Packs – The Package Free Larder
• Tennis Balls – Decathlon Port Solent
• Bicycle Inner Tubes- Decathlon Port Solent

We hope this helps making moving out more meaningfu!