Like many Australians in lockdown, you may have used the downtime to sort through your out-of-control wardrobe recently.
When lockdowns lift, you hope to donate unwanted clothes to a local op shop, walking away with that rosy, self-congratulatory feeling of a good deed done.
But spare a thought for op-shop volunteers, who are facing an increase in donations that must be sorted, quarantined and sold. They're also dealing with the dumping of unsellable items that cost charities thousands to remove.
"If you wouldn't give it to a friend or buy it for yourself, then it's not going to sell for us," St Vincent de Paul Society SA chief executive officer Louise Miller Frost says.
"If your brick or bric-a-brac has a minor chip, or your clothes have a mark, people don't buy them."
Dumped items can be damaged
While you may have done the right thing and donated worthwhile goods, others have been using thrift stores as dumping grounds for items that ultimately cost the charities thousands of dollars to remove.
"Unfortunately that means the money we're earning from the op shop is going to pay for dump fees instead of to services for people, " Ms Miller Frost says.
"We do try and encourage people to donate through the shop when they're open.
"Even if things are in good condition, if they're sitting out on the side of the road, or out the front of the shop, they might get rained on and get damaged.
"And we do have scavengers that come along and destroy stuff and take the good stuff."
A Vinnies spokesperson says there are generally three types of people who donate:
- Those who wash and prepare the items neatly to lessen the workload for volunteers who have to sort and check items for marks and stains;
- Those who have items they want to get rid of but which ultimately cannot be sold due to poor condition;
- Those that simply dump unwanted items out the front or in bins overnight.
Bulky items cost more to get rid of
At South Australia's Christies Beach Salvation Army community thrift shop, officer and chaplain Rob Casburn returned after the state's seven-day lockdown to find two couches in hopeless disrepair had been dumped.
"This will cost us $100 or more to dump," he says.
"We'll try and cut it down and put it into the bin [a large skip], but it still costs us money no matter what way we do it."
He says the store already emptied its skip — filled with dumped or unsellable items — every month at a cost between $800 and $900 each time, but taking away couches in a trailer will cost it more.
It all adds up, leaving a store that ultimately raises money for those who need it most having to pay well over $10,000 a year to get rid of other people's rubbish.
"We don't do charity bins anymore because what we found is people just put rubbish in them so it's meaningless," Mr Casburn says.
"Imagine our team members' heartache when people dump stuff and they've got to clean it up, rather than be inside sorting clothes and selling."
Drop off during opening hours
Mr Casburn says their preference was also for people to drop off their donations during opening hours.
He says items have been steadily coming in and people have "certainly donated some good stuff" since SA's most recent lockdown ended on July 27.
"Most people are fairly respectful and bring the clothes in during opening hours, but some can't get here — especially those who work — but they try and leave it in an area that's covered," Mr Casburn says.
"You know which ones they are because they have done it neatly.
"Sometimes other people take advantage of that and open it up, but a lot times they're just doing their best."
Increased donations
Ms Miller Frost says lockdowns in Australia have generally led to increased donations but the charity did have a warehouse where items could be stored and quarantined for 48 hours if the shops became overwhelmed.
"I know a lot of my friends have been turning their front hallway into a Vinnies storage shop, so we're looking forward to getting those donations in and turning them around," she says.
Salvos spokesperson Mark Foyle says it has been a similar scenario for the charity.
"We always look at our donations with pleasure as we need those to continue to be able to help others," he says.
He says items were not only sold to raise money, but were also given to people in need, such as families "who are starting out or restarting".
"Right now, we'd be happy for any winter clothes, blankets, or whatever that people but similarly, think about whether you would buy it yourself or give it to a friend.
"If so, please donate it as we would love to have it."
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