Dumped: Piles of clothes were left outside the Salvation Army Op Shop in Shepparton during the Christmas shutdown period.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
The staff and volunteers at the Salvation Army Opportunity Shop in Shepparton were greeted with several large piles of donations out the front of the store when they returned on Tuesday, January 3.
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Clothes, mattresses and furniture were left on the footpaths near the store during the Christmas and new year break, blocking the paths for pedestrians.
A spokesperson for the Salvation Army said now that the op shop was back open, staff and volunteers would be able to process the donations.
“The Salvos Stores’ Shepparton crew will get on to sorting the out-of-hours donations, looking for items that can be used,” the spokesperson said.
Rubbish left: Mattresses, clothes and furniture blocked the footpaths outside the op shop.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
“The remainder will be recycled or sent to waste management.”
It’s not the first time rubbish has been left outside the popular op shop.
Charitable Recycling Australia chief executive Omer Soker said leaving donations outside op shops could damage the condition of the items.
“They likely cannot be used due to soilage from the weather or tampering, and create unnecessary waste,” he said.
“Please always donate in-store or locate a donation bin please, and thank you for your generosity, which is so important during the holiday season and throughout the year.”
Mr Soker encouraged Australians to donate their used goods, but to do it in the right way.
“The message from Australia’s reuse charities is always one of appreciation, gratitude and thanks,” he said.
“Australians generously donate over a million tonnes of household items to charity shops each year, and we are able to use 86 per cent of these, which helps raise $961 million for social welfare programs to support Australians in need.”
