Millions of visitors pass through Disneyland Paris each year, and with them comes an inevitable side effect: a steady stream of forgotten eyeglasses, jewelry, phones, jackets, strollers and souvenirs left behind in the parks and hotels. While the resort says reuniting these items with their owners remains the priority, the company has built out a network of partnerships with French nonprofits and social enterprises to give unclaimed belongings a second life rather than sending them to landfills.
According to the resort, the effort spans several categories of lost property, each routed to a different charitable or social-impact partner.
Eyeglasses
Unclaimed eyeglasses are collected monthly and donated to the Louis Braille Museum, located in Coupvray — the birthplace of Louis Braille, the inventor of the tactile reading and writing system used by blind and visually impaired people worldwide, and a site situated near the Disneyland Paris resort. The museum works with an optician specializing in the circular economy, which sorts, refurbishes and prepares the glasses for reuse through a job-integration program. Prescription glasses, sunglasses and reusable frames are then redistributed through nonprofit organizations, while damaged frames are repurposed for educational use or recycled.
Jewelry
For the past two years, unclaimed jewelry has gone to a master jeweler who holds the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France, an honorific awarded to top-ranked artisans in France, earned by the jeweler in 2019. After sorting the pieces, she purchases the precious metals, and the proceeds are donated to charities chosen jointly with Disneyland Paris, including Association Tom Pouce, the French Red Cross, Ô Ma Vie and CPIE des Boucles de la Marne.
Mobile Phones
Unclaimed phones are sent to a company that partners with an ESAT — a French designation for organizations that provide supported employment for people with disabilities. Such facilities, regulated under French labor law, employ workers whose disabilities make it difficult to work in a conventional company setting. The devices are refurbished and put back into circulation, a process the resort says both reduces electronic waste and supports workplace inclusion.
Clothing
Unclaimed clothing goes to Tisseco, a French social enterprise, with additional collection bins available for Disneyland Paris employees, known as Cast Members, to contribute their own donations. The resort said it and its Cast Members have together donated 26 metric tons of textiles to Tisseco, which upcycles the material into original clothing and accessories, features the results in fashion shows, and works to help people facing barriers to employment find jobs.
Disney Merchandise
New, tagged Disney merchandise left behind is donated through organizations including the French Red Cross, intended to reach children and families in need.
Strollers and Other Items
Unclaimed strollers are donated directly to Emmaüs, the French charitable movement known for its secondhand shops and support for people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Disneyland Paris said the various programs are part of a broader push to reduce waste and support community organizations. The resort reported donating 500,000 products to nonprofit groups between 2024 and 2025.
The initiative reflects a wider trend among large tourism and entertainment venues to formalize partnerships with charities and social enterprises for unclaimed property, rather than discarding it, as companies face increasing scrutiny over waste and sustainability practices.
Cover image courtesy of: Disneyland Paris
