Charities, recyclers say illegal dumpers cost millions 

Charities are losing millions of dollars a year as Melbourne’s donation bins and recycling hubs are turned into dumping grounds.

Illegal dumping next to charity bins in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied.

Donation bins and recycling hubs across Melbourne have been turned into disgusting dumping grounds as Victorians clear out their junk and toss it there.

Charities and recycling businesses have revealed they are losing millions of dollars a year to illegal dumping, with early January considered “peak season”.

Clothing recycling giant SCR Group national executive Alexis Todorovski said the company had seen 40 per cent of all donations for the year come through during December and January.

The spike in donations has left mass amounts of items, often broken and dirty, scattered out the front of charities and dark corners of the city.

“People leave stuff everywhere – in vacant land blocks, dark corners of car parks – it’s not just next to clothing hubs,” Ms Todorovski said.

Charitys bin at Rosanna station. Picture: Tony Gough

“Each and every year, dumping is on the increase. Clearly consumerism is at an all time high.

“A lot of the time people that are illegally dumping don’t know they’re doing the wrong thing.

“Then there are people that come out with truckloads of mattresses, I can imagine they

know exactly what they’re doing.”

Sacred Heart Mission social enterprise manager Michael McGann said illegal dumping in front of their 13 Melbourne op shops had been a severe issue.

“When we’re closed for a few days over public holidays we get a build up of all sorts, books, clothes, household items, furniture,” he said.

“Dogs pee on mattresses and furniture, sometimes people sleep on the things, it rains … so of course we have to shove them all in the bin and we foot the bill for that.

“We don’t have the ability to wash items and we don’t have the capacity to fix broken items.”

Mr McGann said stores where people can pull up and easily jump out of cars to dump their items have the most rubbish.

Mattresses and furniture next to charity bins. Picture: Supplied.

“Our Bentleigh store on Centre Rd and our Elsternwick on Glen Huntly Rd and Hawthorn stores are probably the worst because they’re on main roads,” he said.

“There are of course people who think they’re doing the right thing by donating, then there are people who don’t want to pay to take their stuff to a tip or get the council to come collect it.

“Every dollar we spend to send donations to the tip is a dollar that doesn’t go to providing support services to the people that need it.”

Ms Todorovski said illegal dumping costs the entire sector tens of millions of dollars a year.

“As a private company alone, we spent in excess of a million dollars a year in Australia,” she said.

The issue is costing charities. Picture: Supplied.

“Councils on average will spend about $3m a year.“

She said the solution may need to be a combination of education, heavy penalties for illegal dumping and a more connected approach to handling waste across the state.

“We find that in areas where there is a lack of or insufficient services that illegal dumping is a greater problem,” she said.

“We’ve increased signage at all of our hubs, which has been, for the most part, effective.

“Some councils are really proactive, and absolutely distribute fines.

“But there is a lack of consistency across the board and we think that contributes to the problem – some areas you can get caught and other areas you don’t.”