Charity collection bags posted through householder’s letterboxes are now banned, if the householder displays a sign advising charities the bags are unwanted.

The ban has been introduced by the Fundraising Regulator following complaints that some households were receiving the dustbin-sized bags up to five times a week, and that even when filled with old clothes and left outside front doors they were not always collected. In addition there were environmental concerns that the unwanted bags often ended up on landfill sites.