Community urged to stop dumping rubbish in charity donation bins

St Vincent de Paul Society Tasmania chief executive Lara Alexander said though the dumping of unusable donations often ramped up at Christmas time, it was the worst it had been in years.

Ms Alexander said about 30 per cent of donations could be sold or passed on to those in need, however up to 70 per cent had to be taken to the tip as it was rubbish.

“Staff and volunteers have to handle and dispose of the rubbish,” she said.

“It’s very disheartening for our volunteers.”

Ms Alexander urged those dumping to consider the impact of their actions.

“Good donations are being ruined by rubbish and contamination,” she said.

“Ask yourself – would you give that to your family, or keep that in your home?”

Items that can be donated include:

Items that can not be donated include:

For more information on what you can donate, visit vinnies.org.au.