By ALESHA CAPONE
FUNDS that could be used to help Melton’s needy are instead being spent cleaning up rubbish dumpers’ mess.
A charity store in Burnside became the latest dumping ground for debris, waste and litter over the Easter weekend.
Not even the high fence and CCTV cameras at the Brotherhood of St Laurence in Westwood Dve deterred dumpers.
General manager of social enterprises, Rodney Weston, said people could bring items into the shop six days per week or call 1300 366 283 for home pick-up service for significant donations.
Mr Weston said the Brotherhood spent around $120,000 per year getting rid of unwanted donations, across Melbourne.
“Funds from our stores go, for example, to a youth education and employment program in Caroline Springs for young people who drop out of school,” he said.
“Ultimately getting rid of unwanted donations deducts funding from programs like that.”
Star visited three stores across Melbourne’s West and witnessed large amounts of goods abandoned at the doors, despite signs which said dumping could result in offenders being prosecuted or fines of up to $5640.
In Braybrook, at the Ballarat Rd Salvation Army shop, a spiked fence had not stopped brazen dumpers from leaving goods behind.
The Salvation Army’s sustainability and waste manager, Donald Munro, said the charity has spent $1.6 million removing unwanted donations during the present financial year.
“Braybrook is a good example of that because it is not public land and we are responsible for the car park and we do have to take away rubbish from that site,” he said.
“Every cent we spend on removing rubbish is another cent we can’t spent on people in need.”
At the Wayside Opportunity Centre in Withers St, Sunshine – run by Lentara UnitingCare – Star witnessed several men sifting through donations left outside charity bins.
Lentara UnitingCare CEO, Joy Nunn, said the store has fenced off its car park and installed rubbish bins to help restrict illegal dumping.
“In wet weather it can mean that often perfectly good items for possible sale are damaged and then need disposed of as rubbish,” she said.
Last week the State Government announced more than 50 charity stores in Victoria, including Deer Park, Footscray, Sunshine and St Albans, would benefit from a pilot program funded to provide equipment, to prevent illegal dumping. To report dumping call 1300 EPA VIC.
