By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Red Nose Charity’s charity bins and outlet have been given its marching orders from Parkmore shopping centre’s car park due to a spate of “overflow donations”.
Unsightly mounds of dumped goods next to the bins had become a regular “eye-sore”, drawing the ire of shoppers at the Keysborough centre.
A recent sample included a clothes drier, a mattress, a box of soft toys and bags of clothes strewn over about 20 square metres.
Resident Gaye Guest said she was happy to see the bins removed.
“This area had become a rubbish dump daily. An absolute eye-sore and totally unacceptable.
“It’s not the operators’ fault, it is the lazy residents who think dumping rubbish outside of operation hours is OK.”
Red Nose – known for its SIDS for Kids charity work – operated a staffed outlet in a shipping container daily at the site.
According to Parkmore, Red Nose sorted through donations each morning. There were regular charity bins available for after-hours donations.
In a statement, the centre said there had been “extensive feedback from the community” about the “overflow from overnight donations”.
“This has been a factor in our decision to request that the charity bins be removed by the end of October 2018.
“We will continue to offer Red Nose alternative opportunities for fund-raising on an ongoing basis.”
The centre did not consider the piles to be “illegal dumping”.
“We do not consider (the) donations provided to be dumped.”
Red Nose was contacted for comment.
