THIRTY boxes of unsaleable junk were dumped on the doorstep of the Port Kennedy RSPCA store on Tuesday night, robbing hundreds of dollars from the charity’s cat and dog rescue “kitty”.
The debris from Tuesday’s dumping spread from the shop’s front doors down to the footpath.
Store manager Sue Stewart said the items included a giant, broken, rear-projection television with a British plug, ripped children’s books, old computer keyboards and speakers, a rusted outdoor setting, an empty plant pot, solar lights and a pile of 2006 National Geographic magazines.
For every truckload of rubbish dumped at an RSPCA store, it costs two men’s wages and about $150 (a total that can range from $300 to $500 including tip fees, fuel and other costs) to dispose of the useless items.
Tens of thousands of dollars every year are wasted in WA to dispose of unsaleable items rather than being spent on animal rescue and care. And the dumping is happening on a weekly basis.
“I just don’t understand why they do it. It’s going to cost us money to get rid of it,” Mrs Stewart said.
“We have to get a truck, fill it up and take it to the tip, it’s just wasting time. We’re going to spend all day cleaning up this mess.
“The whole purpose of the shop is that all funds raised go to charity; dumping is detrimental to the animals.”
RSPCA WA spokesman Tim Mayne said each incident took hundreds of sorely-needed dollars away from sick, abused and abandoned animals.
“We are not a dumping ground for people’s junk. We want goods that are in good working order,” he said.
“People need to look at what they are kindly donating to RSPCA charity stores and think, what would they buy.
“The money we lose could be used for flea and worm treatments, dog and cat food – all sorts of things like new play areas for the animals.
“Dumping happens all too frequently and we’re sick of it.”
Mrs Stewart said people who wanted to donate to the store should bring their items in during business hours, rather than cause a hazard by leaving them outside overnight.
“We also have a truck that will pick up larger items,” she said.
RSPCA Port Kennedy is open from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.