DURING the holiday period charity bins and opportunity stores often become rubbish dumping grounds, adding extra work and cost for the charities which run them.
The St Vincent de Paul store in Caringbah is one site where people dump rubbish and sort though donations left outside the bins.
Manager Hugo Fernandes said it put an extra burden on the charity, especially at a time of year when many volunteers were on holidays.
"It is a big problem when people start dumping instead of giving us donations we can use," Mr Fernandes said.
"At night they bring rubbish, dirty sofas, broken tables and old analogue TV sets, but we don't take them because we can't sell them."
He said even bags of useful donations were often ripped open, ransacked and left outside to be ruined.
He asks people who want to donate to phone their local store first and see what is required, and not to dump rubbish or items which cannot be sold.
St Vincent's will happily accept goods such a second-hand clothing, furniture, toys and books as long as they are in good condition for resale so the money can be used to help those in need.
For inquiries and furniture pick-ups with St Vincent de Paul phone 9350 9660.
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