BROKEN musical equipment, used bedding sheets and a plethora of plastic bags were left dumped outside of the Lifeline charity pick up bins near the North Maclean Olley’s Fruit Market this week.
While the sheer number of donated goods reflect a charitable spirit in the Jimboomba community, residents have been urged to reconsider how they donate when charity bins are full.
Lifeline Business Development Manager John Hillier said items donated outside of full charity bins had to be disposed of at Lifeline’s expense.
“Anything that is broken or outside of our charity bins is considered contaminated and we are unable to use it in our Lifeline Retail Stores and on top of that we then have to have it removed,” he said.
“Our bins are emptied weekly, but if you are donating goods and find the bin is full, or if your item is too large to fit inside the bin, there is a number on the bin 07 3632 1010 and you can call this for collection of your items by Lifeline or you can donate at a local Lifeline store.
“While the majority of donations are made correctly, unfortunately we do have instances of rubbish dumping at our bins which costs Lifeline financially.”
Mr Hiller encouraged residents to keep up the generous spirit and get in touch with Lifeline for any queries on how to donate goods correctly.
“We are very grateful for the donations we receive through our donation bins which help us fund our services,” he said.
“All proceeds from the Lifeline shops across the state keep our 13 11 14 crisis line going with over 158,000 calls being answered in Queensland alone.”
Lifeline’s crisis hotline is a 24-hour service to support anyone going through a personal crisis or thoughts of suicide regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.
The nearest Lifeline stores can be found at Grand Plaza and 2/28 Johnson Road in Browns Plains.
