Charity that does not pay

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
VOLUNTEERS across the valley are doing it tough after Christmas, with much of their time spent cleaning dumped rubbish from their sites.
Warburton’s Adcare op shop is among these, with volunteers saying this Christmas had been the worst so far.
The volunteers say they are grateful to those people who donate items that are resaleable, but “if you wouldn’t give it to your friends, we have no use for it either”.
Bill and Kath Evans have been volunteering at the Adcare op-shop, underneath the Warburton Seventh-Day Adventist Church, for more than three years now.
Mrs Evans said it wasn’t unusual to find a few donations they couldn’t sell, but the rubbish “had been worse this Christmas than I ever remember”.
“We’ve had to come in practically every day to cope with all this rubbish,” she said.
“We don’t want to sound ungrateful, but we’re here to help the community, and we don’t have the storage for rubbish.”
Mrs Evans said old couches with torn fabric, broken televisions, stained mattresses, dirty nappies and even dog faeces had been found in bags left outside the op shop doors.
“We had a bag of beautiful baby clothes with three or four filthy nappies thrown in and we just had to throw it all out,” she said.
The government has also weighed in on the problem, reminding Victorians to think carefully before they dispose of unwanted, unusable goods at charities.
Environment Minister Ryan Smith said it was disappointing to see people unfairly dumping their waste on charities that provide various welfare services to communities.
“Many Victorians simply aren’t aware that charities cannot sell various items,” he said.
“When they do find out that items such as old analogue TVs aren’t accepted, it leaves people wondering how they can dispose of their waste guilt-free.”
Mr Ryan said he was working closely with charities to develop an urgent solution to what has been a long-standing problem.
In the meantime, he encouraged people to visit www.recyclingnearyou.com.au to find local disposal services.
Warburton Adcare op shop is open every Tuesday and the third Sunday of the month from 10.30am to 12.30am and 1.30pm to 4pm.