Time of year rife for rubbish dumping at op shops

RUBBISH: SPCA Fairy Springs Op Shop manager Lynn Downs says people have been dumping their rubbish at the store. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

With the end of the festive season comes a spike in people dumping rubbish and items not fit to sell at their doorsteps, say local op shops.

SPCA Fairy Springs Op Shop manager Lynn Downs said people had been dumping their rubbish at the store during the holidays and it was something that happened more this time of year.

She said she recently opened a bag which she hoped contained second-hand clothes but instead was filled with "disgusting" nappies.

It was not pleasant, and the store frequently got rubbish dumped in some way or another throughout the year, although more so at this time when it was closed, she said.

The store had a skip for rubbish which it paid to have taken away each week, she said.

"It's our cost when we have to put out things that we can't sell."

The store reopened after the holidays yesterdayand items it had received which appeared to be sellable included clothes, chairs, water skis, children's toys, head boards, books, a hammock and a tent.

Rotorua Salvation Army corps officer Kylie Overbye said it received a lot of donations of used goods at this time of year as people tended to do a good clear-out of their homes ready for the new year.

"That's great and we really appreciate when people think of us and bring along good, quality items we can sell, whether they're unwanted Christmas presents or stuff in the cupboard that they're not using."

She said unfortunately the shop had also had an increase in people dumping items that were stained, ripped, or broken and not fit to sell.

"We end up spending a lot of money on fees to dump them, which leaves us with less to help people in need.

"If people are getting rid of things because they aren't good enough to be used anymore, then we aren't going to be able to sell them either."

Mrs Overbye said the profits from the store's sales helped to fund on-going support of people in need in the community, so the Sallies were always grateful for good quality donations.

Rotorua Red Cross store manager Ken Weatherley said people dumping their rubbish and giving unsellable items was a continual problem which was getting worse throughout the five years the store had been open.

He said it was worse at this time of year.

"Last week we took probably two truck-loads away in four days."

He said people brought things in saying it was all good but once sorted through three-quarters would be rubbish.

Mr Weatherley said people left things out the front of the shop and disguised the rubbish by putting good things on top, with workers discovering items a couple layers down that were ripped, had holes or were blood-stained.