Instead of raw materials like plastic or metal, how useful are donations of used or broken appliances? In particular, I have a broken washing machine, but my team’s fundraising manager was unclear as to whether we wanted it or not. I think he thought I meant a washer.
I think the general idea is no. 
Unless you have nothing to build the robot out of, and if the item obeys the rules, go for it! This reminded me of this story from a thread a few down:
*Originally posted by tenfour *
We were walking from store to store giving our speal about how we are poor kids who need money and how we learn a lot from robotics, etc. We went into one store (a “designer” dress store for large women") and asked to owner for money. She responded that she had no money to give, but wanted our help with something. Afraid to say no, my partner and I agreed. She had jammed a tape into a record/tape player and wanted us to take it out. I told her that I might break the record player in the process, but I would try. She gave me a hammer and told me to go at it. After a few good bashes, I succeeded in breaking the record player and getting her tape out. She then proceeded to “donate” this record player (as old as the stone age) to our robotics team because she thought that we could use the parts out of it to build our robot. Hummmm. All that trouble for no money! Oh well. All in a days work…
We can use motors, scrap metal, and other stuff from the washing machine to build a practice robot, or even to prototype and simulate parts of the robot if the parts in there aren’t allowed in a competition, so why not bring it and take it apart. Taking apart things is always fun 
And how could anyone mistake a washing machine for a washer? The size ratio is just like 20000:1.