Workers at Shepparton’s Hospice Opportunity Shop say it is being treated as a waste “tip”, and are calling for better waste management policies from Greater Shepparton City Council.
Manager Darlene Crossley told The News people had made a “habit” of donating “anything they could get rid of” at the shop’s outdoor donation bins since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“It's terrible, not just for my staff and volunteers, who have to go through rubbish, search for good things. You’ll get household rubbish, dirty clothing, underwear, you name it — it’s disgusting,” she said.
Ms Crossley said in the past month the shop had installed a gate to reduce dumping during the week, particularly at weekends.
The shop has to spend money it makes for charity to dispose of people’s “rubbish”.
“You've got to get rid of it, then you're up for a lot of money with skip bins and things, so it's terrible,” Ms Crossley said.
“That money doesn't go to charity, and that makes you feel very angry, actually.
"We still make a lot of money, but it still impacts badly because that's less money for people with palliative care for the community of Shepparton.“
Ms Crossley is calling for council to provide tip vouchers or a hard-rubbish collection day to avoid “dumping” at the shop and other areas.
“People deserve to have a couple of tip vouchers maybe a year,” she said.
Council waste services manager Courtney Naughton told The News, “evidence from other councils indicate that regardless of whether there are vouchers or hard-rubbish days, dumping at charity stores is still prevalent”.
“It is really important that the community understands that unwanted household items must be in good condition to be donated to these shops,” she said.
“We encourage members of the community to utilise the Resource Recovery Centres for waste disposal, particularly when disposing of items outside of an op shop’s opening hours.
“Transfer stations are located within townships or on the fringes, making them much more accessible by residents to dispose of waste and recycling”.
Ms Naughton said many councils did not have, or were moving away from, hard-rubbish collections, as they were “very expensive” and the waste was not recycled.
“This type of waste disposal encourages good items to end up in landfill, is aesthetically unappealing, and an occupational health and safety hazard (with asbestos and chemicals exposure) that can take weeks to clean up,” she said.
Ms Naughton said “council continues to work closely with op shops” experiencing difficulties, and had received complaints in the past related to illegally dumped waste at op shops, but not at the Hospice Op Shop specifically.