Illegal rubbish dumping at Charity bins and stores – the impact on our environment and community.
Every year charities in Australia are spending millions of dollars to dispose of rubbish and unsaleable items, this diverts precious funds away from services that support those in need.
Many items end up in landfill causing unnecessary environmental impact.
At Junk we recycle more than 90% of the items we collect, anything too good to be thrown away is repurposed and sold at discounted prices or donated to the vulnerable in our community. We operate across all of Victoria.
Many charity stores have had to invest in sensor lighting, CCTV and limiting donations to set times to mitigate the rise in illegal dumping.
Research has shown different types of people engage in donations, below are some examples:
Super Donator –
A super donator is someone who understands the expectations of and role of charities including what items are accepted. They would not leave items at charities outside of open hours and are role models for the community.
Well-intentioned Donator –
A well-intentioned donor mostly likely knows what is accepted at charity stores. May donate out of store hours and are generally well-intentioned.
“They’ll deal with it donator” –
This is often someone who donates when it’s convenient to them, may leave broken or unsuitable items at charity shops and an indiscriminate dumper of unwanted items.
Deliberate Dumper –
Often resentful of having to pay for waste disposal and may be deliberate or opportunistic in leaving items at charity shops.
There are alternatives that may assist in diverting unwanted items from charity shops and minimise illegal dumping, some of these are:
Repairing broken or damaged items
Gifting to others such as family or friends who may be in need
Selling items via the Facebook marketplace, Gumtree or eBay
Donating items is a great way we can all help the community as long as we do it the right way. If you are unsure if a charity will accept your items, please reach out to them.