Grass clippings, prawn heads, dirty mattresses, chemicals, old gas bottles – even drug paraphernalia. These are just some of the dumped items charities receive every year in their collection boxes, costing them millions in disposal fees.
St Vincent De Paul's metropolitan retail manager Steve Gillespie said illegal dumping is selfish and places a significant burden on charities.
"It's a sense of 'dump it here, [now] it's our problem not theirs'," Mr Gillespie said.
The costs of disposing the rubbish limited charities' ability to provide services to the most vulnerable people. "It cuts from the welfare that we could've helped people with," Mr Gillespie said.
The Vinnies shop in Brookvale is the biggest in NSW and volunteers were regularly confronted with dumped goods, Mr Gillespie said.
To help deter dumpers, the state government has provided the Brookvale shop with six high-quality CCTV cameras worth $13,000 and Mr Gillespie said he noticed an immediate decrease in dumped goods.
Environment Minister Rob Stokes said it was a "low act" to dump rubbish at charities and warned offenders they would be fined up to $4000.
"Illegal dumping is always a crime," Mr Stokes said. "But it's particularly heinous when it is orchestrated on charities, and particularly callous when it's at this time of year when charities are really, really busy helping the most vulnerable in our community."
The dumped goods also pose a hazard to staff, many of whom volunteer their time to work.
"We've got gas bottles – we wouldn't have a clue if they're leaking," Mr Gillespie said. "We've got chemicals, we've got paints, we've got old rotten mattresses. I think it's a shame that our staff and volunteers have to come in after long weekends and their days off to have to deal with this problem."
While there is a lot of junk, not all goods dumped illegally are rubbish. According to Mr Gillespie, up to 60 per cent of goods dumped are useable.
"But because they are leaving them here after hours, it's rummaged, it's pilfered, the weather gets to it. Then it becomes a dumping issue because by the time I get back it's been pulled apart [and] broken, so their good intentions haven't worked," he said.
The solution, Mr Gillespie said, was to deliver the goods while the store was open. In many cases, charities will even arrange a free pick-up service to collect unwanted items.
"Broken furniture, electrical items that are rusty and old – these are not items that charities would want. We're looking for goods that aren't soiled, damaged or broken. Then we can use those to help people in need."
