Victorian charities losing millions to illegal dumping scourge

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

High tip fees are one of the factors that could be contributing to illegal dumping. Picture: Claudia Baxter

Victorian charities and recycling businesses are losing millions of dollars to illegal dumping each year, with high landfill levies and poor planning adding to the problem.

Clothes recycling hubs and other charity bins are now becoming dumping grounds and the clean-up costs are threatening the finances of organisations.

Charitable Recycling Australia chief executive Omer Soker said charities diverted more than one million tonnes of products from landfill every year.

But he urged people to do the right thing and think about what they were offloading.

“If you wouldn’t give it to a friend, don’t give it to charity and always donate inside a charity shop or inside a donation bin, never leave items outside where they likely won’t be able to be used,” he said.

“Charities are very effective at resource recovery, with only 14 per cent of items unusable – but it’s the higher-quality items that spark joy and really help our society and the environment.

The dumping is costing charities millions in clean-up fees.

“So please donate, pick your charity of choice and know that your donations are doing good.”

Clothing recycling business SCR Group is among those affected by the problem and has been trying to tackle the issue by trialling cameras at bins and with new signage to warn against bad behaviour.

Managing director Chris Todorovski said there appeared to be a link between a rise in illegal dumping, increases to landfill fees and communities struggling to access waste services.

“Unfortunately, SCR together with the entire sector that operate charity stores and clothing bins have been and continue to be targets for illegal dumping, and continue to spend millions of dollars every year picking up illegally dumped goods at clothing bin sites and disposing them into the landfill,” he said.

“SCR are not only footing the bill for illegal dumping, but some councils are forcing SCR to remove the clothing hubs in the hope of eliminating illegal dumping.

“This approach by councils does not fix the illegal dumping problem. As people simply find other sites to dump, such as vacant blocks, laneways and charity stores.

“In fact this approach creates additional problems, as goods collected in the clothing hubs will now most likely end up in landfill and innocent people involved in the process end up losing their jobs as they can no longer service the clothing hub.”

Mr Todorovski 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.

“SCR are committed to continue to work with councils and other site owners to help reduce and hopefully eliminate the small minority of illegal dumpers, that are creating an unnecessary cost and burden to the majority of people in our community who are disposing their waste the right way,” he said.