Last updated: November 2026
Working mobiles, tablets and laptops are the easiest electronics to donate in Sydney, and tech charities such as The Reconnect Project and the Asylum Seekers Centre take them. Op shops are fussier. Red Cross shops don't accept electrical goods, Vinnies NSW leaves it to each shop, and Salvos Stores takes small appliances that are clean, working and safe to handle.
Which Sydney op shops take electrical goods?
Ring the shop first. Each charity chain publishes its own rules, and they don't line up.
| Charity shop | Small appliances | Computers and laptops | TVs | White goods | |---|---|---|---|---| | Salvos Stores | Yes, if clean, dry, working and complete | Only in new, original packaging | Ask first; never CRT (tube) TVs | Fridges in good working order | | Vinnies NSW | Some shops, so ask first | No | Ask your local shop | Not if over 10 years old | | Red Cross shops | No | No | No | No | | Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury | No (gaming consoles aside) | No | No | No |
Salvos Stores is the chain most likely to say yes. Not every store takes every category, though, and the store finder lets you pick one by the item types it accepts. Drop-offs are during trading hours, and 100% of the profits go to The Salvation Army's community programs.
At Vinnies NSW, laptops sit on the do-not-donate list along with computers, printers and scanners. Vinnies points to state and federal laws that make it illegal for it to sell some items, and its NSW page asks you to contact it before you bring any electrical goods in.
Where to donate computers, tablets and mobiles
These are the devices with somewhere to go even when the op shops say no.
The Reconnect Project
The Reconnect Project repairs donated tech and passes it on through more than 200 social service agencies, from women's refuges to refugee support programs. It accepts donations of mobiles and tablets of any make, age or condition, plus laptops less than 8 years old.
Post your device to its workshop at 8 The Strand, Penshurst, or leave it at one of its donation stations:
- The Boot Factory, 27-33 Spring St, Bondi Junction
- Hurstville Library, 12-20 Dora Street
- Kogarah Library, Kogarah Town Square
- Lane Cove Council Civic Centre, 48 Longueville Road
- Reverse Garbage, 30 Carrington Road, Marrickville
- Sutherland Shire Council Customer Service Centre, 4-20 Eton Street
- Community Recycling Centre, 29 Sefton Road, Thornleigh, open Tuesday to Saturday
Three MPs' offices, in Epping, Manly and Northbridge, are donation stations too. Got more than 10 devices? Tell them first.
Asylum Seekers Centre
People seeking asylum in Sydney don't get government income support. A donated laptop or mobile can be what lets someone study, look for a job or stay in touch with family.
The centre is stricter about age than Reconnect. It takes laptops, tablets and phones up to 7 years old, MacBooks up to 9, and iPhones from the iPhone 8 on, all in working order. Fill in the form on its donate-a-device page and someone will get back to you.
Offering appliances through GIVIT
GIVIT isn't a shop. Charities post what the people they support need, and you donate items to a matching request. Whitegoods and appliances are on its list of what you can give, and so are computers, phones and tablets.
No request near you? List your pre-loved item in GIVIT's online warehouse instead, where an offer can stay up for three months. Add a photo. GIVIT doesn't collect or store anything itself, and an item is more likely to be taken if you can drop it off.
Before you hand over a device
- Back up what you want to keep, to the cloud or a computer.
- Unpair any smartwatch or other accessory linked to it.
- Log out of your accounts. On an iPhone that also takes it off Find My iPhone.
- Do a factory reset, which clears your iCloud or Google account from the device.
- Pack the charger. The Asylum Seekers Centre says spare chargers are always welcome.
What donated devices add up to
| Number | What it counts | Source | |---|---|---| | About 23 million | Unused phones sitting in Australian drawers | MobileMuster research, reported May 2026 | | 5,200+ | Devices The Reconnect Project has handed out | The Reconnect Project, checked November 2026 | | 26% | Share of Reconnect's distributions that went to people affected by domestic violence | MobileMuster, May 2026 | | 405 | Devices the Asylum Seekers Centre gave out in FY24-25 | Asylum Seekers Centre | | 4,900+ | Support organisations registered with GIVIT | GIVIT, checked November 2026 | | 171 tonnes | E-waste MobileMuster collected for recycling in 2024-25 | MobileMuster |
When nobody will take your old electronics
Broken mobiles still have a place to go. MobileMuster recycles old and broken handsets, chargers and accessories for free at Optus and Vodafone stores, or you can post them back, and it destroys any data left on them during recycling.
TVs and computers that no charity wants can go to a drop-off point on the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, at no cost. Our guide on whether electronics can be recycled has more on what happens to the rest.
Some of it won't find a home, and that's where Paul comes in: he takes e-waste away whether it works or not, then recycles what he can, where it's appropriate. If you book before midday, he can usually be there the same day, and Paul's team gets it out of the house for you. For a free quote, see electronics removal or ring 0407 125 125.
