Sex toys, bongs donated to charity

SEX toys, bongs and family photos are not what you expect to find in charity bins - but that is exactly what Lifeline and St Vincent de Paul have been finding.

Lifeline Bundaberg business manager Andrew Armstrong says it’s common for people to donate valuables including jewellery and antiques along with worthless items like sex toys and bongs in the city’s charity bins.

SEX toys, bongs, family photographs and valuable heirlooms are not what you expect to find in a second-hand store – but that is exactly what Lifeline and St Vincent de Paul have been finding in their charity bins.

Lifeline Bundaberg business manager Andrew Armstrong said the things people donated never ceased to amaze him.

“We do get some very odd donations,” he said.

“Lots of it never makes it to our shelves. We get things like sex toys and family photographs and portraits.”

Mr Armstrong said he was shocked at the value of some of the donations.

“Sometimes we get really valuable items and very old antiques,” he said.

“We have a clock that I took to a jeweller who said he had never seen one like it. It’s strange that someone would just give that sort of thing away.”

Mr Armstrong said it was quite common to find family photos.

“We had two bags full of photos come in once,” he said.

“They are always coming in.”

Mr Armstrong said many items had to be returned after domestic disputes.

“We often get calls from people when their partner has thrown their things in one of the bins,” he said.

“In the heat of the moment people throw everything out.”

St Vincent De Paul regional president Angela Vicenzotti said emptying the charity bins was not always a pleasant experience.

“We get lots of rubbish like dirty nappies thrown in,” she said.

“We had to remove a few of the bins around town because they were just rubbish collectors.”

Mrs Vicenzotti said she was baffled by some of the donations.

“We got a few cups full of holes and one with a pipe sticking out of it,” she said.

“We’ve had a mechanical budgie and a singing fish as well.”

Mrs Vicenzotti said the charity would prefer donations of furniture, clothing and blankets, especially with winter fast approaching.

Have you ever donating something weird or wonderful to charity? Tell us about it below?

Originally published as Sex toys, bongs donated to charity