Large blue sofas and the contents of open cardboard boxes, ripped grocery bags and torn tartan storage bags “were strewn everywhere, it was such a mess,” store manager Danielle Volkers said. 

The Manning River Times photographed the store on Sunday and informed the community about the large dumping incident on its website and social media around 1pm. It prompted store volunteers to leave their homes to attend Pulteney Street to try to clear-up some of the mess. It was also a catalyst for public comments that reveal anger, solutions and factors that contribute to dumping at charity stores in the Manning Valley. 

“I was out of town on Sunday so could not attend to it but a couple of volunteers tried to put a few of the salvageable items in the outside donation bin,” Danielle said.

“The sofa was not useable or saleable and the contents of the ripped bags couldn’t be salvaged. On Monday we had to work for more than an hour to gather it all up and get it off the footpath. It had been strewn all over the street with all of the bags ripped open.”

Volunteers filled a ute with the dumped items, drove to the Bucketts Way Waste Management Facility in Tinonee and had to pay $65 in waste disposal fees.

The increasing cost burden of fees is an issue for the store as more people dump or donate goods that are not suitable for resale.

“We can’t be there 24/7 to accept donations and we really want and need for the dumping to stop during the night time hours. It’s now getting to the point that if any bags are left at the door and not in the donation bin then they will be ripped open and the goods tossed everywhere. We are hardly ever able to salvage any of the items.

“Our volunteers work very hard and feel disappointed and disillusioned. When it happens, it’s an ‘oh no, not again!’ response and then they have to work to clean up the terrible mess and it feels awful.”

Store volunteer Lesley Mays-Lewis says “it's not nice to have to clean it up, not to again mention the cost of tip fees. We are charged full price like everyone else so what we pay in tip fees takes away our ability to to help those in need.” 

She suggests surveillance cameras need to be installed at the store and it “may be something we have to look at to try to deter dumping”, says Danielle Volkers.

“At the moment we haven’t gone down that path and really, we just want to deter and not prosecute.”

COMMUNITY COMMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Sally Osborn - “I saw that. And look out if I ever catch someone in the act - once I was out walking and saw somebody doing it, took down their number plate and went into the shop later to give it to the manager.”

Emma Strybis - “If the tip didn't charge outrageous fees this probably wouldn't happen.”

Rosa Lehtinen - “I just moved back from Woodcroft and the council gave us 12 times a year to ring them and book at time for the council truck to pick up any items to chuck out as long as it was not car parts, no batteries and no hazardous items. I think Taree should do the same.”

Paul Heard - “Majority of the time, it's not the person that puts it there, it's the grubs that go through it all hours of the night and just throw it everywhere! Seen them plenty of times.”

Melissa Anderson - “Often people don't have the money to pay for the tip. And they need to be out of expensive rentals asap. Council should provide more hard waste clean ups. Closer to Sydney each household was allocated one free hard waste clean up per year. Great for renters who are often forced to move frequently. Also, those people could have left it in the forest but they didn't. They tried to do the right thing. Precarious times.”

Jana Box - “People don't take it in business hours because it just gets rejected and then they have to take it to the tip and pay for it. Cameras won't make any difference, the people doing this don't care about cameras.”