By XAVIER SMERDON
WYNDHAM charity shop workers are regularly being subjected to verbal abuse by people who illegally dump rubbish in front of their stores, a staff member has said.
Last week workers at the Salvation Army Op Shop in Synnott St Werribee were left a bad Australia Day present when they went to open the store on Tuesday morning.
Piles of old clothes, broken furniture and even large cabinets and wardrobes were left on the footpath outside of the store.
A staff member told Star that the dumped rubbish was almost a daily occurrence and it was never sold by the store.
“We catch people doing it almost every single morning,” the staff member said.
“People will sometimes pull up with a ute full of smelly old clothes and they put it right in front of the sign saying it’s illegal to dump items here.”
The staff member said Wyndham Council removed the rubbish which could often contain dangerous items such as syringes.
Patrons leaving nearby nightclubs had even been known to urinate on the items on their way home.
To make matters worse, the staff member said workers were often yelled at by the rubbish dumpers.
“We have cameras here that catch their registration numbers so we report that straight to the council and they can then fine them,” the staff member said.
“If I catch someone doing I tell them that they will get a fine for them and I usually get a mouthful of abuse back.
“If they think they can get away from doing a tip run then they’ll keep on leaving their rubbish here.
“Would they like people taking it to their front door and dumping it? I don’t think so.”
The Salvation Army Op Shop sells items in their store which helps them fund services that help poor people in the community.
Donations should be made during business hours from Monday to Saturday.
