Charity bins across the ACT will be removed due to illegal dumping, and Canberrans are encouraged to immediately cease the dumping of goods where bins were once located.
“The ACT Government, with the support of charity bin operators, has made the decision to immediately revoke the licences of all charity bins located on public land throughout Canberra,” said City Services Minister Chris Steel.
“This decision has been made due to the growing challenges faced by charity operators in managing illegal dumping around the diminishing number of clothing bins around the city.
“Despite a range of measures to address the problem, including CCTV and improved compliance, some Canberrans are still continuing to dump goods next to bins, leaving our city untidy.”
He said charities have been withdrawing their services as it is “unfair” for them to have to clean up the sites.
“COVID-19 has also impacted the availability of charity workforces in managing the bins during this public health emergency,” he said.
“I am urging all Canberrans to please stop taking items to charity bins from now. We have already started the process of removing the remaining ones from locations around Canberra and will continue to do so in the coming days and weeks.”
While high quality items can still be donated via store shopfronts currently accepting goods, Canberrans are encouraged to limit their travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Steel urged people to store their items for donation at home and to dispose of poor quality and broken items.
He said the government, alongside the charity sector, would be looking into the “future of textile recycling in the ACT”, identifying alternate collection points for the future.
“The government’s new Bulky Waste collection scheme is due to start from the middle of the year which can take some items accepted in charity bins or commonly illegally dumped around them,” he said.
