Charity Clothing Drop-Off Day halves waste for charities

08 April 2021

The Charity Clothing Drop-Off Day is back this April, with the City calling on the community to help make it the biggest event yet.

From 9am-3pm on April 10, the City of Stirling Administration Centre carpark will be set up as a drive-in and drop-off point, providing a convenient way for residents to hand in carloads of unwanted items which will benefit others in the community.

Good Sammy reports that donations received at previous Charity Clothing Drop-Off Days contain less than half the amount of waste normally found in charity bin donations.

Good Sammy Community Engagement Manager, Emily Noteboom said the organisation has been averaging 10-14,000 kilograms of donations per event, with goods of notably high quality.

“There’s always a percentage of waste in donations, normally around 20 per cent but at Charity Clothing Drop-Off Days, it’s less than 10 per cent,” Mrs Noteboom said.

“People tend to use charity bins to get rid of junk, so this is a more connected experience with goods handed from one person to another. They can see that the donations are really being used and they want to do the right thing.

“We’re less likely to get soiled or damaged clothing and more likely to get nicely packed clothing, washed and folded.”

The last drop-off day saw more than 20,000 kilograms of items collected for local charity organisations, including clothing, linen, books, toys, jewellery and DVDs.

Deputy Mayor Bianca Sandri said the City expected last year’s growth in donations to continue in 2021.

“Decluttering has become more prevalent since COVID-19 which, when done responsibly, has been great for our charities and it’s fantastic to see so many good, usable items diverted from landfill,” Deputy Mayor Sandri said.

Good Sammy, Vinnies, ParaQuad Industries and the RSPCA will all be taking part in the April event.

With winter approaching, Mrs Noteboom said all charities were calling out for donations of warm clothing and bedding.

“The other thing we always need more of at Good Sammy is homewares for people setting up house. This past year, we’ve been providing assistance to community initiatives that help people who are experiencing homelessness or family and domestic violence to get on their feet and into a home.”

The Deputy Mayor said local charities were also providing great opportunities for City residents with disability.

“A lot of these organisations provide meaningful employment to people with disabilities working across retail, driving trucks and in the warehouses. The more you donate, the more their options grow.”

 

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