The Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Wantirna South left to count the cost of thieves

THIEVES are rifling through donations to an op-shop in Melbourne’s outer east and stealing valuable items, leaving the store with a $200 weekly clean-up bill.

Thieves are rifling through donations to the Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Wantirna South. Picture: Brendan Francis

OPPORTUNISTIC thieves are rifling through donations to a Wantirna South op-shop and stealing items before they hit the shelves.

And a major charity says the problem is rife around Australia.

The Salvation Army Thrift Shop store manager Sharon Schottler said people regularly sifted through donations left outside the store after hours, taking them before the op-shop had a chance to go through them.

The Salvation Army Thrift Shop manager Sharon Schottler. Picture: Brendan Francis

“Rubbish dumping is a big problem, but an even bigger problem is people going through the stuff … donated to us and taking the good stuff and leaving us with the rubbish — isn’t that sad?” Ms Schottler said.

She urged people to donate goods during the store’s business hours instead of leaving them outside.

All proceeds from the op-shop’s sales go back to the Rowville Salvation Army Corp.

Ms Schottler said they were also tired of dealing with rubbish dumping out the front of their store, paying a waste collector $200 a week to clean up.

Salvos Stores spokeswoman Aife O’Loughlin said rubbish dumping, and people taking quality items left as donations, were huge problems for all their stores.

It costs the Salvos $6 million a year nationally to get rid of dumped rubbish, including $2.3 million in Victoria.

The Salvation Army Thrift Shop spend $200 a week cleaning up rubbish left at the store. Picture: Brendan Francis

Ms O’Loughlin said people who couldn’t donate during the day could arrange a home collection.

Ms O’Loughlin said several stores had CCTV cameras and fencing to deter dumpers, but there was “no silver bullet” to solve the problem.

Ms Schottler urged people to visit the store and said they needed more volunteers. The store is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm, and Saturdays, 10am-1pm at 1330 High Street Rd, Wantirna South.