Goodwill Officials See Problems With Trash In Donation Boxes
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
A turkey fryer with lard and old car batteries are items Pam Roberts has found in Goodwill Industries' local donation collection boxes.
The list doesn't just end there.
Other items she and her family have discovered include soda bottles filled with kerosene, orange juice containers, and even checkbooks and bank statements.
Roberts, her husband, and her three sons and daughter have been contracted by Goodwill Industries of Michiana for the past eight years to drive four box trucks to pick up donated items that are in the collection boxes. They drive the box trucks with usable items to semis west of Warsaw where they are transported to South Bend.After the usable items are processed in South Bend, they then are sent to Goodwill stores to be sold.
The Roberts family works seven days a week, 365 days a year, picking up donated items in Warsaw, Leesburg, North Webster, Logansport, North Manchester, Peru, Pierceton, Wabash and Syracuse.
The family has a dumpster on their Pierceton property and works with a local waste management company to dispose of the unusable and damaged items that are donated to Goodwill.
Roberts said the family tries to recycle items they find such as magazines, old encyclopedias and plastic beverage containers. But then there are items that cannot be sold or recycled.
"It's disappointing to drive up to a donation box to do your job to collect items and find there is trash and unusable items in the boxes," Roberts said.
"I guess people who drop trash in the boxes figure they have to pay to get rid of their garbage at home, so they choose to dump it in the collection boxes where they don't have to pay for garbage services."
She said there also is a problem with people leaving unusable items such as old and torn furniture without cushions and unusable refrigerators at the donation box locations.
The trash and unusable items are mixed in with usable clothing and household items that are donated by people in the county to help meet Goodwill Industries' mission. The not-for-profit organization's goal is to provide jobs, training, and placement services for people who have barriers to employment.
Roberts said there also have been thefts of items from the donation boxes.
She said she has been contacted by people who have gotten driver's plate numbers of people who have donated items in the box and witnessed people stealing items from the boxes.
Dennis Freeland, executive vice president of Goodwill Industries of Michiana, said the problems with unusable items and thefts of items at the donation box locations is something that has been occurring statewide for some time.
"We plan to continue to work with authorities to keep receptive of these issues," Freeland said.
Janice Blosser, Warsaw Goodwill store manager, said, although it doesn't cost those who donate unusable and damaged items, it costs Goodwill to haul the unusable items away.
"For us to have to pay for items to be hauled away from the box donation locations that are not usable or are garbage, is costing us money and affecting our mission," Blosser said.
Blosser said Goodwill Industries needs donations more than ever to keep its mission going with the state of the economy.
"What's happening is people are keeping items because these are hard times and more people are shopping here because they need items," Blosser said.
Items Goodwill Industries' biggest needs are clothing and household items such as pots, pans, dishes and glassware.
Blosser said the community has been supportive in bringing usable donations, but she said the quantity of donations has been less than usual.
"We can use a lot more donations because what we can't use here would go to our other stores," Blosser.
She said the only time Goodwill Industries turns down an item is if something is totally ripped apart and cannot be sold. She said there is not anyone to repair the merchandise before it is sold, so that is why it cannot accept damaged items.
Warsaw Goodwill Industries store hours are Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
Items that are accepted are clothing, accessories, linens, shoes, jewelry, toys, dolls, books, vacuum cleaners, televisions, lamps, stereo systems and other small working appliances.
Other items include mattresses, box springs, kitchen sets, end tables and other furniture not in need of repair, coffee tables, pictures, luggage, dishes, pots, pans, utensils, sporting goods, bicycles, antiques and collectibles.
Goodwill, 3507 Commerce Drive, Warsaw, will have a fill-a bag-sale for $35 Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. where customers can come to the store and purchase a bag of clothing at that set price.
For more information about Goodwill Industries, visit www.goodwill-ni.org
