Private waste companies in Victoria are being buried financially by residents continuing to illegally dump unwanted goods outside clothing donation bins

The problem, which includes items such as wardrobes and mattresses being left at donation points intended only for clothing, is escalating despite signs stating that “leaving items outside of bins is an offence”.

“I’ve noticed bikes, scooters, just wheels and just rubbish,” one resident said.

Southern Cross Recycling Group (SCR Group) has been significantly impacted by the costs associated with managing illegal dumping. 

“We don’t have a lot of problems about what goes in, it’s really what is spilling outside of the bins that is completely inappropriate,” chief executive Joe Carbone said.

SCR Group currently collects approximately 1.75 million kilograms of illegally dumped rubbish annually in Victoria, which costs about $500,000 to dispose of. 

The situation is expected to worsen following an increase in the Victorian Government’s tax on landfill waste.

“When you add that to our site fees, our permit fees, our disposal fees, it gets very close to where the charities were probably at 20 years ago, thinking ‘is this worth it?’,” Carbone said.

If illegal dumping continues in the way it does, charity bins are at risk of being phased out altogether because operators will be buried financially.

“Without these clothing collection points, we’d see a rise in (landfill), which is the last thing we want,” Professor Alice Payne, Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT, said.