Business accused of cashing in on charity donations

One of the latest ways to donate to charity is through a collection bag. They are large plastic bags delivered in your mailbox with instructions on how to donate. No more driving around with a carload trying to find a charity bin. You just leave these out kerbside on a certain day for collection.

One collection bag, however, is being accused of cashing in on charities, when it is not a charity at all.

While there is nothing illegal about it, RAI Textiles have copied the collection bag idea. The Courier Mail reports that while they are taking donations, just like other charities, they are instead selling your donated items to developing countries. The concern is that people may think they are donating their goods to charity, when in fact they are not. The bag does state it is a commercial collection service, and says it provides a functional use for unwanted goods and helps reduce landfill.

They may have a valid point. Charity collection bins have been a source of frustration for charity stores for years. From people dumping outside stores instead of using the bins, to people stealing items that have been donated, it is an ongoing problem. There are also huge costs associated with dumping items that have been donated that aren’t good enough to sell.

It’s part of the reason Endeavour Foundation is stopping their charity collection bins altogether, according to Endeavour’s commercial manager David Heathcote. “As a result of high maintenance and operating costs, high levels of unusable goods, illegal dumping at clothing bins, and an increasingly competitive market of low-priced retailers, this element of the business is no longer financially viable,” Mr Heathcote said. Their old collection bins will now be used by Lifeline and Link Vision.

If you want to ensure you are donating to bona fide charity or not-for-for-profit organisation, got to acnc.gov.au/charityregister.

Do you care who gets your unwanted goods, rather than go to waste?