Last week I donated some clothes to a charity shop and knowing how things are these days, I phoned beforehand to check they would receive them. I was told they could take clothes but no books, DVDs, CDs or electrical items. That suited me fine.

I chit chatted with the helpful young man as I handed my little bag over and he told me that that very morning, he had arrived at work find 73 bags outside his shop. He is not allowed to process bags dumped out of hours and so those 73 bags went off to be landfill. The charity has had to pay thousands of pounds to have rubbish uplifted because people are basically emptying their cupboards and drawers into plastic bags with the idea that the charity shop will sort through it for them.

On the up side, they are selling five books for a pound these days, so I am using them as a kind of library while I wait for mine to reopen.