Community rallies to help Coffs op shop staff as dumping takes its toll Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - January 26, 2025 The volunteers at the op shop in Scarba Street find ransacked bags every day they arrive for work. VINNIES op shop staff and neighbours in Scarba Street Coffs Harbour met Monday morning, 13 January, to begin the task of clearing up piles of rain-soaked clothes and household goods that had been dumped on-site. Over the weekend, residents saw bags of goods getting picked over and food being scattered, with the rain adding to the growing mess. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au A rally cry went out via a community social media post, with residents helping the elderly Vinnies staff before the shop opened for the week’s trading. Vinnies Regional Manager Retail North East Paula McCormack, said the problem begins when people don’t bring their donations into the store and instead leave them outside after trading hours. “Dropping the bags at the front or back door when the shop is closed provides an opportunity for people to rummage through and take what they like and leave the rest in a mess all over the street,” she told News Of The Area. “Last weekend we faced large electrical items, a TV and washing machine, a box of prawn heads and other food waste scattered outside the shop on Scarba Street, which was awful for anyone to have to handle. “All the clothes and other items were then wet, damaged, and dirty and our volunteers spent time cleaning this up with the help of some lovely locals who saw the mess and came with gloves and bags to assist in clearing it up.” The scattered, damaged goods took two hours to clear up and filled four industrial sized rubbish bins. “These are costs to Vinnies, added to no sales made from those donations,” Ms McCormack said. Most volunteers in the Scarba Street shop are mature ladies, “so it is quite challenging for them to be confronted with this situation. “The physical demands caused by donation dumping could be avoided if we just received donations during the hours of 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and up to 1pm on Saturdays.” The funds raised through the sale of goods in the shops provides funds to support locals who are doing it tough; assisting people to provide food for their family, put petrol in their car or pay their electricity bill. Like all op shops, Vinnies rely on donations of clothing, leisure and household items that are in saleable condition and that are handed in to the staff. Recycling preloved items through the op shop network has so many positives including, restoring, recycling, repurposing, and preventing “stuff’ going into landfill. “January seems to be the biggest challenge with the sheer volume of donations. “This is fantastic if people bring them into the shops during opening hours so we can sort, price and get them on the shop floor to sell so there are always new things for customers to see every day. “We sell good quality items that are clean, dry and undamaged.” The saying is: ‘If you would give it to a mate, it’s ok to donate’. But hand it to staff during trading hours. By Andrea FERRARI What happens when goods are left at Vinnies’ closed doors out of hours. Large electrical goods, a shopping trolley and bags of scattered clothes outside Vinnies in Scarba Street last weekend. A fresh set of goods rummaged through after being dumped out-of-hours.
