Be a star, give a car

Many of us try and do our bit for charity, everything from dropping some spare change into a collection box, to giving old clothes and toys to charity.. But did you also know that donating unwanted items needed be confined to the home? Rather the thing that sits on your driveway outside your home could be just as important to the third sector.

Charities are always hit hard at times of recession and voluntary groups and special care organisations that rely on public funding are in dire need. I've written on more than one occasion of the benefits of linking resuability, recycling and charity, and couldn't be more impressed when I heard about the efforts of social enterprise Giveacar, the organisation that helps people donate used and scrap cars for the benefit of charity groups. Giveacar works in conjunction with the largest nationwide car recycling network - any car that is donated will either be sold in a salvage auction for its salvage value, or disposed of at an Authorised Treatment Facility. 75% of proceeds go to a charity which the donor themselves can choose.

When it comes to giving old and unwanted goods a 'second life', this is perhaps one of the best examples of just how literal that terms can be, with the UK charities that benefit from the funds raised include Marie Curie Cancer Care, RSPCA, Shelter, Sight Savers and Oxfam. In just over a year the scheme has been incredibly successful, raising over £200,000 and has extended its collections to motorbikes. It also works in conjunction with a number of local councils.

Below is a information video on behalf of the group, and you can get more information from the website at  http://www.giveacar.co.uk/


Giveacar - The UK Scrap Car Donation Provider from Tom Chance on Vimeo.

Giveacar is also environmentally friendly, ensuring that all scrap is converted and recycled with the environment in mind, and takes a strong stance against unauthorised scrapping facilities and illegal dumping. You can read more about car recycling and Giveacar's role in this article from the Ecologist.