Sallies sick of dumped rubbish

JARED NICOLL/Fairfax NZ

ENOUGH'S ENOUGH: Blenheim Salvation Army store co-manager Anne Robinson holds up the broken lampshade that cut a worker's hand when it was left in a clothing bin.

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The Salvation Army shop gratefully receives most donations but soiled sheets, broken glass and ripped clothing that people have dumped recently are not among them.

Blenheim Salvation Army staff were forced to make and pay for four trips to the dump to dispose of the dirty sheets, torn clothing and a broken television last week.

Salvation Army Store co-manager Tania Murphy said an increasing amount of rubbish was being dumped in the Redwood and George St clothing bins and around the building after hours over the last six weeks.

"It's been getting progressively worse over the summer. We love people bringing in donations but there's too much rubbish coming in at the moment.

"We've got unwashed sheets coming in with urine stains. Another time I pulled out some towels and there was dog poo in the middle."

Since the store did not have a washing machine, soiled items had to be washed at volunteers' homes, increasing the risk of health and safety issues, she said.

"I cut my hand on some broken glass from a shattered lamp put in the George St bin."

The organisation usually made three trips to the dump per week but had to make an extra trip to keep up with the inflow of rubbish last week, she said.

"A lot of our customers are low income and people have got that attitude that they will be happy to take anything but when you're struggling it's hard enough as is, so why make it worse?"

Store co-manager Anne Robinson said the rubbish was so filthy it spoiled all the good items around it.

"Someone dumped seafood shells in a [clothing] bin about a week ago and the smell and juice from it just ruined the lot.

"Some damp mouldy carpet soaked through to all the clothes underneath."

Community ministries manager Joyce Somerville said a lot of the dumping was due to laziness and people avoiding paying dump fees.

The organisation was forced to foot the bill to drop seven bales of clothing at the dump at a cost of $12 per bale and $6 for a broken television last week.

The money could have been used to cover utility bills and any remainder would have been put back into the community, she said. "Any profit above our overheads goes to helping the people in the greatest need."

- © Fairfax NZ News