All items · Sharps & weapons
Knives and bladed items
Also covers: kitchen knives, knife block, chef knife, machete, axe
Can you donate knives and bladed items to a UK charity shop? Usually not.
Why shops may refuse it
Age restrictions and staff safety mean many shops refuse blades entirely; others sell kitchen knives with checks — it varies.
What to do instead
Ask the police or council about a surrender bin or designated station before travelling. Wrap and secure every blade thoroughly for transport, whether taking it to police or to a household waste recycling centre.
Charity by charity
73 mentions-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp knives, weapons or replica weapons”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives or blades of any kind”
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Can't accept
Described as items 'with potential for harm'.
Their wording
“Pointed items (kitchen knives, blades, daggers, swords)”
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Can't accept
Butcher's knives, flick knives and sports knives.
Their wording
“butcher's knives, flick knives, sports knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Weapons & knives of any type”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives, swords, crossbows”
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Can't accept
Also covers daggers and swords as bladed items.
Their wording
“Pointed items with potential for harm: kitchen knives, daggers & swords”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives/Blades/Scissors/Knitting Needles”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp Knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Guns, knives and weapons, replica or otherwise”
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Can't accept
The same list also refuses razors. Electric knives are separately excluded under electrical items.
Their wording
“Razors and large sharp knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Weapons of any kind, including: Bladed items including knives, Guns, crossbows and ammunition (including replica guns unless obviously a toy)”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp items (scissors, knives, etc.)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives and firearms (including replicas), explosives (including fireworks) or any weapons or sharp objects”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Large knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Legal Restrictions: Weapons, sharp knives, or items without fire labels attached.”
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Can't accept
'Knives' is also listed again under the separate Weapons heading.
Their wording
“Knives and Scissors”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives & firearms (including replicas)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Firearms, ammunition, weapons, knives or objects that could be used as weapons or replica weapons, bladed tools”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp Knives – for example carving, pairing & break knives, blades & knife blocks”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives, daggers, stabbing or martial arts related weapons”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Any sharp or pointed items with the potential for harm such as kitchen knives, gardening tools, pen knives, blades, daggers, swords, sword stocks or crossbows”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp kitchen knives and other cutting tools.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp knives or swords”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Bladed items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Pointed objects that can be used as weapons (safety and legal reasons). Includes butcher’s knives, flick knives, sports knives, swords, darts, daggers and axes.”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives of any kind”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“sharp items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“knives of any sort”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives, blades, and bullets”
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Can't accept
Shown when searching 'Bladed Items' (also 'Pen Knife').
Their wording
“Thank you for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept this item because of legal restrictions. Some things need special licences or checks that we’re not able to have in place.”
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Can't accept
Also listed as 'Knives and Scissors' under the homewares section of the same page.
Their wording
“Knives, swords, sword sticks, crossbows, throwing stars”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Weapons and related items: Knives, swords, martial arts gear, and replica firearms.”
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Can't accept
'sharp knives' specifically.
Their wording
“Sharp knives or weapons; swords, crossbows etc”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives, firearms (including replicas), explosives-including fireworks or any weapons or sharp objects”
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Can't accept
Covers razors, corkscrews and scissors as bladed/sharp items.
Their wording
“Razors, broken or chipped glass or china, corkscrews, scissors, weapons”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Sharp knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives”
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Can't accept
Knives and scissors listed under items the charity cannot take.
Their wording
“Heating, lighting and cooking equipment that use gas or oil, knives and scissors, ovens, electrical items e.g. foot baths, sun lamps & shavers, electric blankets, power tools or food mixers without instructions, microwaves”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“❌ Knives/Sharps”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Bladed items (e.g., kitchen, steak, flick and sports knives)”
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Can't accept
Swords and crossbows also listed as bladed/sharp items.
Their wording
“Knives, swords, crossbows, guns (including replicas)”
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Can't accept
Also repeated under Weapons as 'Knives, Swords, sword sticks, crossbows'.
Their wording
“Knives and Scissors”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Firearms, ammunition, weapons or bladed items”
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Can't accept
Excludes cutlery; also excludes sharp gardening and hand tools.
Their wording
“sharp knives (excluding cutlery)”
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Can't accept
Sharp kitchen knives and other cutting tools are also refused.
Their wording
“Knives, flick knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Weapons, knives, swords, sword stocks, crossbows.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives and scissors”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knifes/crossbows/guns/ammunition/swords”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives or any sharps”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“we are unable to accept sharp items, such as knives or weapons”
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Can't accept
Wales Air Ambulance category-wide rule
Dangerous items generally not accepted for legal and safety reasons
Their wording
“We cannot sell dangerous items for legal and safety reasons.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives, blades, and sharply pointed items.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Weapons i.e. knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“We cannot accept knives, knife sets with knife blocks. Chef knife sets or blades of any form.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Knives, blades and bullets”
- Check first
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Check first
Only accepted if a table knife sold as part of a cutlery set; other knives refused.
Their wording
“Knives (other than table knives sold as part of a cutlery set)”
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Check first
Cutlery is explicitly excluded from the refusal; sharp gardening tools and scissors are also refused.
Their wording
“Any kind of knife, e.g. Daggers (excl. cutlery)”
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Check first
Only accepted as part of a complete cutlery set
Their wording
“Knives of any kind unless in a complete cutlery set”
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Check first
Refused, except kitchen knife sets, which are accepted.
Their wording
“knives, blades or objects that could be used as weapons (this does not include kitchen knife sets)”
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Check first
Only table knives sold as part of a cutlery set are accepted; other knives are refused.
Their wording
“Knives (other than table knives sold as part of a cutlery set)”
- Check first
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Check first
Cutlery is accepted; other knives are refused.
Their wording
“Knives (other than table knives sold as part of a cutlery set)”
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Check first
Kitchen and dining knives are accepted; other knives, blades and axes are refused.
Their wording
“Knives, blades and axes (except kitchen and dining knives)”
Not mentioned in 80 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Acorns Children's Hospice
- Age UK
- Ardgowan Hospice
- Ayrshire Hospice
- Barnardo's
- Barnsley Hospice
- Bolton Hospice
- Butterwick Hospice
- Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
- Claire House Children's Hospice
- Cransley Hospice Trust
- Crisis
- Derian House Children's Hospice
- Dogs Trust
- Douglas Macmillan Hospice
- East Lancashire Hospice
- FARA Charity Shops
- Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
- Garden House Hospice Care
- Helen & Douglas House
- Hope House & Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices
- Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland
- Hospice in the Weald
- Hospice of the Valleys
- Katharine House Hospice (Stafford)
- Katharine House Hospice, Banbury
- Keech Hospice Care
- LOROS Hospice
- Marie Curie
- Martin House Children's Hospice
- Mountbatten Isle of Wight
- Moya Cole Hospice
- Nightingale House Hospice
- North Devon Hospice
- North London Hospice
- Nottinghamshire Hospice
- Oxfam
- PDSA
- Pendleside Hospice
- Phyllis Tuckwell
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Primrose Hospice
- Prospect Hospice
- Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People
- Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
- Rotherham Hospice
- Royal Trinity Hospice (London)
- Saint Francis Hospice
- Save the Children
- Scope
- Sense Scotland
- Severn Hospice
- St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire)
- St Columba's Hospice
- St Cuthbert's Hospice
- St David's Hospice Care
- St John's Hospice (London)
- St Luke's Cheshire Hospice
- St Luke's Hospice (Harrow & Brent)
- St Luke's Hospice Plymouth
- St Margaret's Hospice Care (Somerset)
- St Michael's Hospice (North Hampshire)
- St Nicholas Hospice Care
- St Peter & St James Hospice
- St Raphael's Hospice
- St Richard's Hospice
- St Vincent's Hospice
- Strathcarron Hospice
- The Kirkwood
- The Myton Hospices
- The Prince of Wales Hospice
- The Shakespeare Hospice
- Traid
- Treetops Hospice Trust
- Weldmar Hospicecare
- Willen Hospice
- Willow Wood Hospice
- Wirral Hospice St John's
- Woodgreen Pets Charity
- YMCA (England & Wales)