Give to op shops like you would a friend and help, not hinder, charities
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Op shops can house rare gems — vintage clothing, sets of funky crockery and bargain furniture, all donated to help charities make money for a good cause.
But the stuff that makes its way to the shop floor is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to items dumped in charity collection bins.
Every Monday morning, volunteers at the Lifeline op shop on Argyle Street in Hobart have to step over and through piles of donated clothing, toys and furniture.
But all too often these donations are mixed with bags of garden waste, broken furniture and old electronics which they then have to take to the tip.
"Our volunteers have to get in and clear it up," shop manager Robert said.
"We really appreciate the donations and the people who drop the stuff off and make the effort. We don't mind dealing with it [rubbish] on a small basis."
Debbie Evans, chief executive of Lifeline Tasmania, said about 10 per cent of donations made their way into op shops for sale.
"About 60 per cent we turn into rags and we get a small amount of money for that," she said.
"The rest, unfortunately, ends up in landfill."
Everything put into a Lifeline charity bin is sorted by hand by volunteers, and the money made from sales goes into supporting Lifeline's services.
"It's a significant part of our business," Ms Evans said.
"Every dollar that comes from our retail stores goes to supporting our suicide prevention programs, so it's an absolutely critical part of our business and we couldn't survive without it."
Ms Evans said they were often pleasantly surprised by the donations made to the charity, with high-quality items such as woollen coats, brand-name clothing and new items still with tags often dropped in.
"Don't stop donating," Ms Evans said.
"If you get a chance, please think really carefully about what you're donating and make sure that it's good quality and doesn't end up in landfill."
John Stubley from Hobart City Mission said while some charities were reporting a downturn in donations, Tasmanian donations remained strong.
"We've found it's increased," he told Ryk Goddard on ABC Radio Hobart.
"Unfortunately a lot of the stuff we do get is not able to be reused.
"There may be some confusion about what we can actually make use of, but some of the things left at our op shops are very clearly not intended for resale and are in fact just being disposed of."
The goods that cannot be reused have to be taken to the tip.
Some councils give a concession to charities on tip fees, but it still costs time and money that would otherwise be going to the work of the charity.
But both Lifeline and Hobart City Mission said they preferred to have to deal with rubbish in order to get good donations than have no donations at all.
But if people can think before donating, it helps the charities further.
Robert at Lifeline said the best way to judge if a charity op shop could use a donation was to treat them like a friend.
"Would I be happy to give this to my friend?" he said.
"If the answer is no, then the best way is to get rid of it at the tip.
"But if you would give it to a friend, then absolutely we'd love to have it."
