Hairdresser Dan Alessio cops $322 fine for donating books

An elderly man who copped a huge fine when he made an unwitting error while donating books to the Salvation Army has hit out at the extraordinary measures the council took to find him, saying he will have to work for a week to pay the penalty.

Dan Alessio was fined $322 dollars for donating books to a Salvos.

An elderly man who was tracked down via CCTV and fined $322.38 for trying to donate a box of books to charity has slammed the whole process as revenue raising.

But the council says there is plenty of information warning people of the consequences of dumping, and fines exist to punish those who create safety risks and ruin the look of the street.

Thornbury hairdresser Dan Alessio said he left a box and two shopping bags of books in front of the Salvos Store on Station St, Fairfield about 7.15am on March 6.

The 78-year-old said he dropped them off on his way to work because he mans his hairdressing salon alone and needs to be available for drop-in clients.

A month later he received a $322.38 fine for littering.

Mr Alessio wrote to the council to appeal the fine but after 10 weeks they determined he had to pay it.

“If I knew (about the law) of course I wouldn’t have left the stuff,” he said.

“It was good resaleable things for them to make a profit.

“My only mistake was not to bring it in when the shop was open.

“I should have thrown it in the bin.”

Mr Alessio said the fine was excessive and paying it caused him stress and anxiety.

“I wake up at 2am — can’t sleep — I’ve got to work all bloody week to get this money,” he said.

Being a volunteer with Salvos is something special. Volunteers are such an important part of our organisation (and...

Posted by Salvos Stores on Thursday, 23 May 2019

The council used CCTV footage to identify his car registration and tracked him down to send the fine.

“They only care about the money. It’s a lesson for everybody,” Mr Alessio said.

Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie said the fines existed to stop people using charity stores as a dumping ground.

“Charity shops have ample warning signs and explanations of alternative solutions for the public, and clearly advise that a fine will be issued if dumped items are left there,” she said.

Salvation Army spokeswoman Aife O’Loughlin said donations left outside of stores were often damaged from weather, wildlife or people rummaging through items overnight.

“We know that most people who leave their donations outside our stores when we are closed are genuine donors and they want their donation to be used for good, but unfortunately we often don’t get the donations,” she said.

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Ms O’Loughlin said the Salvation Army spent $6 million every year disposing waste and unsaleable donations.

If people are unable to donate during opening hours they can call 13 SALVOS to book a free home collection.

Littering is managed by the Environment Protection Act 1970 and a fine for “deposit of litter generally” carries a maximum penalty of $6,447.60.

@richardapearce