Don’t dump your sofas on our doorsteps, say Bridge charities
Thursday 27th October 2011, 11:30AM BST.
Sarah Bamford of Communicate with an old sofa left outside the Bridge shop. The constant flow of people leaving furniture outside is eating into charity funds because it has to pay to have the unwanted items taken to the tip. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 1192425)
FURNITURE fly-tipping on the Bridge is bringing down the area and putting a strain on charity shops, retailers and shoppers have said.
A sofa and filing cabinet were dumped outside the Communicate shop over the weekend and chairwoman of the charity Sarah Bamford said the problem was a recurring one.
‘People are literally dumping stuff outside our shop frequently,’ she said.
‘Most of the time it’s in a disgusting condition, so we can’t sell it.
Mrs Bamford said the police are unable to remove dumped items and the fee to take them to the tip eats into the shop’s income.
- Read the full story in the Guernsey Press. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
Island Life
All about Guernsey
Ambassador of the Year 2011
History & Heritage
Visitor Information
Guernsey's government
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
Good Afternoon,
“FURNITURE fly-tipping on the Bridge is bringing down the area.”
While I feel very sorry for the charities may I be as bold as to suggest fly-tipping is not the only thing bringing down The Bridge. Lets be honest The Bridge needs a make over from local stylist, Dot Mann.
Ding dong
Godfrey
Report abuse
Scuffers in action again.
Longue Hougue 2 mins drive away – pathetic.
Report abuse
Perhaps they should look at the cctv cameras in the area .. this will find the culprits .such a shame that a charity that does good for others is being made to pay dumping charged .perhaps all charities should be able to dump stuff free ..
Report abuse
They should put them out as benches on the Bridge. Nice and comfy to sit down on.
Report abuse
Sarah is highlighting an ongoing problem, encountered by not only Communicate, but all charity retail outlets, island wide. Charity shops are not an outlet for recycled goods, unless they are in pristeen order; that means; clean and serviceable, all goods kindly donated have to pass muster before being put on sale; ie, no stains, no rips, no faulty zips, no missing buttons; books should be as new, no missing pages, etc. People who donate hangers when sorting their wardrobes also need to think twice – the charity shops generally buy their own hangers out of their running budgets, those that they can fit onto rails with maximum sales results.
We are a very generous Island when it comes to supporting and donating, but it seems we need to keep some guidelines in mind.
Report abuse
This is a sad story but I cannot see why the charity shop is responsible for rubbish dumped on the public footpath. Surely we cannot expect their charity to extend to keeping our highways clean.
Report abuse
The stuff that some folks send in is disgusting.At one time we at our church used to do jumble sales
Folks used to clear out and let us have it
some of the stuff was beautiful and we were able to resell it for a few pence .
other stuff was ripped or full of paint .]then there was dirty stuff some would make you feel like being sick .dirty underwear .also dirty babys cloths .
such a shame as we then had to get rid of all this as well .
the only fit place for it was the tip .or someone burning barrel .
“if you would not buy it dont give it “
Report abuse
Godfrey.
If you can’t write something constructive don’t write it at all and that doesn’t just apply to this post.
If you don’t like it, don’t go there. There are plenty of people who use these facilities regularly and are a benefit to the shops by using them and keeping them in business.
The charity shops on the bridge are a fantastic source of cheaper items which people who cannot afford, or who only need for a short time can buy.
I feel for these shops as they provide a valuable service for the community and should be recognized more for their voluntary work but because they are modest people they wouldn’t dream of such a thing.
You will always get someone who abuses the service and I hope that they can (as someone has said) find out who has done this and punish them appropriately, though the problem does go beyond fly tipping with regards to the quality of items that are given at times.
I wish the shops on the Bridge the best of luck with tackling this issue and will be back soon for a fantastic bargain.
Lucie.
Report abuse
@Lucie
Oh my wonderful child. See you on Sunday, wear something nice! ;)
G
x
Report abuse
I remember years ago the charity shops telling us that the staff were not paid and were working free for good will towards charity. we later found out of course that was not correct and they were being paid all along with money taken from the charity of others.
Should we believe now that they are paying to have the things dumped ?
Report abuse