12 April 2012

Charity bins retreat to evade the dumpers scourge

| johnboy
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charity bins

Chief Minister Gallagher has annnounced her government is running up the white flag against charity bin dumpers and making strategic withdrawal:

“Since the last roundtable in January consultation has taken place with charity groups. Today’s roundtable agreed that a pilot program will be undertaken.

“This will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the options to address the problem of illegal dumping. The pilot program will include:

— Limiting the number of charity bins to major town and group centres (Belconnen, City, Dickson, Gungahlin, Mawson, Weston, Woden and Tuggeranong)

— placing a limit on charity bins at any centre; these are to be located in clusters to reduce the impact on visual amenity and enable easier monitoring

— introducing a code of practice for those organisations who wish to place charity bins around the ACT

— undertaking a media campaign to highlight that charity bins are only for clothing, footwear and blankets and encouraging the community to dispose of unwanted goods through the ranger of recycling opportunities available in Canberra such as local Resource Management Centres; and

— TAMS and the charity organisations working together to update their websites to highlight the types of goods they are seeking.

The Chief Minister said it was also recognised that blitzes on illegal dumping will need to be undertaken at key times and locations throughout the year.

We note in passing the withdrawal of services from the periphery is generally seen as a very unhealthy sign for a civilisation.

[Photo by Thisisnotcharity]

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People need to be able to leave unwanted things out the front of their houses/flats, like NSW to be picked up, free of charge, that way there would be no more dumping at the charity bins, government don’t care, it’s not their problem.
Or take the charity bins away.

c_c said :

pepmeup said :

Also if bins were in areas of high traffic, maybe people would be less likley to dump unwanted good there.

Many of the bins I see where illegal dumping takes place are in very busy areas – shopping centre carparks with main arterial roads along side like outside the Hyperdome and the Dickson Shops. What many people don’t seem to realise, but other capitalise on, is humans have a very good ability to ignore what goes on around them – the assumption that if something if happening that may not be right, it either must be right or someone else will fix it. So dumper just rely on the Police not turning up and no one reporting them.

I have reported illegal rubbish dumping at some local housing flats twice in a year. I pass there every day and you would think the old TVs, couches and desk chairs actually breed at night! As soon as one is dumped, another one follows soon and the more rubbish there is on the footpath, the faster the pile grows.

It is not at all a solution, but I do believe that if they would remove the rubbish sooner, less people would be tempted to add their own. I think there are people out there who think that if the spot looks like a dump anyway, they are actually not doing anything wrong by adding to it. They are scum without any social conscience, but it would make some sense to try use some psychological methods to prevent temptation.

But I agree with other posters that a large rubbish collection service would be the best longer term solution.

Also, what is it with all the bins in the Inner North now being owned by the Lone Fathers Association? I don’t know who they are and I want to donate my clothes to a charity I know like Vinnies or the Salvos. But they seem to already have removed all of their bins. I will make more of an effort to drop my stuff off at their store. Also, the Salvos will pick up bulky furniture with their truck if it is in good condition. I have done that before and also let them take the umpteen bags of clothes that were in my garage on that occasion.

screaming banshee said :

And it shall be called ‘Project Soylent’

Actually, the “Soylent Green” option is one of The Green’s policies.

pepmeup said :

Also if bins were in areas of high traffic, maybe people would be less likley to dump unwanted good there.

Many of the bins I see where illegal dumping takes place are in very busy areas – shopping centre carparks with main arterial roads along side like outside the Hyperdome and the Dickson Shops. What many people don’t seem to realise, but other capitalise on, is humans have a very good ability to ignore what goes on around them – the assumption that if something if happening that may not be right, it either must be right or someone else will fix it. So dumper just rely on the Police not turning up and no one reporting them.

Regarding the dumping, at least some of the problem would be fixed if the government (and in particular The Greens) got their act together, ditched the one track obsessions with social justice and public art and got a comprehensive e-waste and bulky household item recycling program under way.

At the moment, they do have a hard to find directory on the TAMS site which directs you to local drop off points for recycling various items, but they don’t publicise it much. If you’re going to insist on using the silly “No Waste” slogan in the future, it’s time to get serious about it. But alas, this is the government and the hopeless Greens party that couldn’t even get us the Red bins even Quangers has, so I don’t hold much hope.

It seems to me we probably need more bins not less, if people could put stuff in bins rather than pile it up around them it would help. Also if bins were in areas of high traffic, maybe people would be less likley to dump unwanted good there.

When I drive out to a friends place just outside Canberra, I am amazed at the illigal dumping on rural roads.

Actually people have started dumping their rubbish all through the reserves and in creeks etc.

The govt focus on trying to stop dumpers piling rubbish around the charity bins is just making the general dumping problem worse.

Solar powered, hard rubbish collections have been suggested continually, and the ACT Govt just appears to ignore it.

They really have no excuse for not starting one – practically every council in Australia has one – and I mean for every household, not just selective pensioner pickups.

There are plenty of places around Australia that have “Hard rubbish” days – when you leave the big rubbish out the front and the local Council picks it up – they are well advertised in advance (where my parent’s live they get a list of the days in the local area with their rates notice – once every 6 months for them) and people drive by – pick up things they want and the council is only left with the real rubbish.

There are plenty of people who don’t have access to a big vehicle to take large items to the tip, there are many people who for various reasons can’t or don’t drive and the tip fees compared to other places around Australia are horrific – something creative needs to be done to help the people who can’t access the tip for these reasons.

wildturkeycanoe5:23 am 14 Apr 12

People aren’t dumping their stuff behind the mall, next to the creek or on top of the rocky crag. They are dumping stuff right where the bins are placed. To catch them is simple, CCTV! If they are dumb enough to dump in such a public place, it won’t be hard to catch them in the act.

damien haas said :

The tip fee argument doesn’t hold water. I take a panel van load of crap to the tip and get charged 10 to 15 dollars. Just be honest – the dumpers are lazy filthy scum.

Though for a large CRT TV you are looking at $60 to dump per tv.. (Not that I condone the activity at all, just pointing out not everything is cheap to dump.

I agree though that dumpers, particularly those who dump at charity bins are scum.

Considering many charity stores are open mon-sat I don’t see why they need bins at all.

Brindabella said :

I need to dispose of 6 17″ CRT computer monitors soon (and a few oldish laser printers). Does the tip still charge for dumping these? (price?) Anyone want these – they’re all in perfect working order – just don’t need them.

22.50 each for computer monitors

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/228081/Guide_to_Wastes_Disposal_Charges_Brochure_2011.pdf

There are plenty of old age pensioners who can’t drive, or people living on the dole with no cars who can’t afford tip fees, and can’t get to the tip anyway.

Clown Killer8:39 pm 13 Apr 12

Whilst I personally don’t think that the tip fees are too much, I could certainly see the benefit of allowing rate payers a couple of trips to the tip for free. Where my parents live the Shire Council sends a bunch of coupons out with your receipt or rates … That way when you pay your rates, you get a four trips to the tip (one each quarter) a couple of free passes to the local pool and some other stuff. It seems to work.

On the issue if the pathetic sh!tbags that dump their useless crap at charity bins, it’s an enforcement thing really. I don’t think t warrants police attention, but surely the ACT has Rangers or similar that could hand out some fines.

dungfungus said :

The dumping fees at the tip are a rip-off. In Albury, the council gives out 4 free dumping coupons a year to every ratepayer. Now that would be a vote winner in an ACT election year Katy, but too late now; we have enough of your hypocrisy this last few months.

Along a similar lines, what about say one or two free dumps per vehicle rego per calendar year or something? That prevents people from ‘trading’ their free tip coupons with businesses and other users.

I helped a friend with a couple of tip runs last year and when I arrived to pick up the rubbish with the ute, I was amazed how much recyclable material was in the rubbish pile. We spent 20min pulling the recyclables out of the pile, and reduced the tip bill from (probably around $50) to $10 and an extra trip to the local recycling depot (closer than the tip anyway). The only reason the $10 load was left was because we got lazy, but almost all of it could have been disposed of cheaply.

SolarPowered5:59 pm 13 Apr 12

Dumping your stuff near charity bins is dumb. But people get away with it, so something else needs to be done. Outside the ACT most councils provide kerbside pickups.

For example http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/services/waste-and-recycling/kerbside-cleanups

Why can’t this be done in Canberra? We pay enough in rates.

BimboGeek said :

Don’t throw out your CRT screens! Stick them on Yoink! I loved Yoink when I needed some extra furniture and stuff.

Yes throw them out … you won’t be able to give them away (feel free to try, of course). Stuff is so cheap these days … “poor” people have monster LCDs in every room and on every computer. CRT? Free? Pffffft. This is why charities won’t take them – they can’t give them away, much less sell them. May be a different story with printers, but I doubt it.

Cost of dumping CRTs varies by size … 17″ would be $15 ea.
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/live/Recycling_and_Waste/recyclingandwastecentres/mitchell_rmc

damien haas said :

Just be honest – the dumpers are lazy filthy scum.

+1

People are throwing their old sh1t on the streets?

Surely this is the gummint’s fault!

Don’t throw out your CRT screens! Stick them on Yoink! I loved Yoink when I needed some extra furniture and stuff.

screaming banshee6:36 am 13 Apr 12

And it shall be called ‘Project Soylent’

I need to dispose of 6 17″ CRT computer monitors soon (and a few oldish laser printers). Does the tip still charge for dumping these? (price?) Anyone want these – they’re all in perfect working order – just don’t need them.

Taking to tip next week, but if there is a recycle for computer equipment that doesn’t charge that would be better, but otherwise a trip to the tip for me!

LSWCHP said :

.

Really, a marksman with a scoped rifle is the only answer to this nonsense.

As long as the bodies are recycled as pet and plant food. Remember, No Waste by 2012

This looks like an election year stunt. It creates more problems than it sets out to solve apart from closing down some locations.
I saw a well dressed lady ransacking the overflowing bins at Erindale Shops carpark yesterday. She was filling a couple of Woolies shopping trolleys with the best stuff and wheeling the loot to a top of the range wagon; obviously these discarded items had more value for her than they would have at the Salvo’s shop.
The dumping fees at the tip are a rip-off. In Albury, the council gives out 4 free dumping coupons a year to every ratepayer. Now that would be a vote winner in an ACT election year Katy, but too late now; we have enough of your hypocrisy this last few months.

damien haas said :

The tip fee argument doesn’t hold water. I take a panel van load of crap to the tip and get charged 10 to 15 dollars. Just be honest – the dumpers are lazy filthy scum.

Sound of nail being hit on head.

Every month or so for several years I have taken stuff to the recycling bins in Belconnen. At first people were very good – paper in the big cage and other recyclables in the skips provided. Gradually it has become a mess – people put paper, old TVs, cans of used engine oil, etc in the skips. Won’t be long before this facility is either closed down or needs staffing. Either way we all lose and all because of a few morons.

The tip fee argument doesn’t hold water. I take a panel van load of crap to the tip and get charged 10 to 15 dollars. Just be honest – the dumpers are lazy filthy scum.

screaming banshee10:01 pm 12 Apr 12

Answered your own question there I think al.

Gungahlin Al9:22 pm 12 Apr 12

This will hardly scratch the surface of the problem of dumping around the town centres.

On the GCC Facebook page (http://facebook.com/gungahlin) one resident made the very good suggestion that charity bins be located inside the Mitchell waste transfer station, so is only accessible during open hours. The suggestion was well received and i passed it on to Katy Gallagher myself. Seems it has gone nowhere though…

sepi said :

All this is going to do is make it harder for anyone who actually wants to donate decent clothes etc to charity. At the moment the best charity bins are the out of the way ones that are emptied daily, not the revolting clusters of rubbish in carparks like the ones at Dickson and Southlands that they are planning to keep.

I’d argue that the people with decent clothes and goods that they want to donate to charity will be more likely to make the effort to head directly to one of the charity stores and drop their goods to the store itself, rather than dumping them in a bin.

That’s what we do – plus we get the added bonus of a thank you with a smile when we drop stuff off. When we dropped stuff off directly to the Smith Family in Belconnen after Christmas this year, the genuine gratitude from the lady sorting stuff made the drive completely worthwhile. They’d just finished sorting out the massive pile of junk that had been dumped in and around the bins outside the store over the break, and she seemed shell shocked.

All I can say is that if you truly want to give to one of these charities, just make the effort to drop stuff of directly to one of their stores. It’s not like it’s a huge effort – just throw them in the car the next time you’re heading to one of the town centers, it doesn’t even need to be a special trip.

All this is going to do is make it harder for anyone who actually wants to donate decent clothes etc to charity. At the moment the best charity bins are the out of the way ones that are emptied daily, not the revolting clusters of rubbish in carparks like the ones at Dickson and Southlands that they are planning to keep.

Are they just ignoring the elephant in the room that is their overpriced Tip ‘Fees then? Reducing tip fees and/or offering hard rubbish days would save a fortune in clearing old rubbish from nature strips and reserves.

I think it’s too late. The dumpers can apparently no longer be bothered soothing their consciences by dumping their crap near charity bins and pretending they’re helping the needy. I’ve seen sofas, old TV’s and boxes of junk just left by the road around various places in Belco recently.

Really, a marksman with a scoped rifle is the only answer to this nonsense.

Buckaroo_Banzai5:51 pm 12 Apr 12

We have a Ranger of Recycling Opportunities? Does he (or she) wear the same outfit as the rangers that give parking tickets?

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