Community
20 September, 2024
Illegal dumping costly for are-able
THE illegal ‘dumping’ of rubbish and other broken and unuseable household items continues to be a concern for a local non-profit organisation.
are-able (Community Clothing Collection), who operate several recycling bins across Warrnambool (including three at Gateway Plaza), is this week appealing to local residents to reconsider their disposal habits.
‘Dumping’ of items such as books, toys, blankets, pillows and furniture is not welcome.
“We’ve even found old food thrown into one of the recycle bins which was pretty ordinary,” are-able’s Jason Esam said.
“We only want and need donations of quality clothing; we know 98 per cent of the community does the right thing but some people intentionally misuse these recycling bins instead of using appropriate facilities like transfer stations.
“The bins are emptied each day and our wonderful team sort it into bales before they are transferred for distribution to those in need.”
While many items are distributed locally, a portion is also sent overseas to countries in need.
“Figures show that Australia sends 72 million items of clothing to countries in need each year, preventing all those items going to landfill,” Mr Esam said.
“Sorting through all the items can be a huge job and we’re asking the community to make it a little easier on our team by not throwing in items that we cannot accept.
“We have to wear the costs associated with dumping and that bites into our operational costs.”
The clothing recycling bins are clearly marked with guidelines for acceptable donations.
There are also signs that state any items placed outside the containers was considered ‘dumping’ which is an illegal act.
are-able, which offers employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and manages these recycling sites, is also concerned about the burden placed on its employees who handle the dumped goods.
“We must protect our staff; they work tirelessly to empty these recycling sites every weekday but when people use these locations to dispose of their rubbish our team ends up cleaning the mess,” Mr Esam said.
“It’s a thoughtless act that jeopardises the sustainability of these facilities.”
Gateway Plaza centre manager Sarah Porter said she too was concerned about the misuse of the recycling bins and urged the community to only leave quality clothing that can be utilised by those in need.
“are-able does a great job emptying these bins each week but it must be frustrating for them to see items dumped in and around the site,” she said.
“While it (the dumping) appears to have improved slightly in recent months it remains a concern so we’re just wanting everyone to really think about what they’re leaving. Household rubbish and other items should be discarded in the appropriate places.”
Anyone who witnesses someone dumping items at these recycling sites are encouraged to report the behaviour to police and record any vehicle registration details.
