Illegal dumping of household items is an ongoing issue for those who run Op Shops.

On Monday night, the Anglican Op Shop on Rous Road in Goonellabah had a number of items dumped at their building, including four mattresses.

As Op Shops cannot receive mattresses for hygiene reasons, the cost to dispose of them and extra skip pick costs was $250.

"It's a sad state of affairs when volunteers have to experience the complete disregard of the law by others regarding dumping - at least on this occasion there were no dirty baby nappies!," said Stephen Hall of the Anglican Parish of Lismore.

"What they don't realise is that in addition to us having to dispose of the items, someone in our community goes without the help of the OP Shop when they need it."

The more illegal items that are dumped at the Anglican Op Shop and other local Op Shops, the less aid they can provide to people in need in our community. Not only that, it can place volunteer staff at risk.

"Our shop is staffed by volunteers who have to sort through what is sometimes dirty and dangerous material."

While most people try and do the right thing, there are some in the community that are treating the Op Shop like a dumping ground. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest that "most people know that illegal dumping is wrong and they know it is socially unacceptable. However, most people don't think they will get caught."

"It is so disappointing that people can do this under the guise of a donation", Stephen added.

What are the guidelines around donating items to a charity?

They can differ slightly from organisation to organisation. However, the Salvation Army website states, "Things that you would be happy to keep yourself but don't need anymore." Items like;

• Clothing and accessories
• Toys, books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records
• Homewares
• Furniture
• Electrical goods

What charities don't want is anything that is broken, damaged, ripped, stained or in any way faulty. As a simple rule, if there's something wrong with it, then charities can't sell it.

They also cannot accept:

• Computer monitors, printers, scanners and other hardware
• Building materials
• Car parts
• Weapons – including replicas and martial arts weapons
• Taxidermy animals

Then there are large donations like furniture, mattresses and white goods. There are certain government rules and regulations around accepting some of these items, plus it depends on the size of the charity store, so the best approach is to ring and ask or visit during trading hours.

This is the main message from all charities. If you do have something to donate to any charity, you are asked to do so during operating hours when staff can assess what you have to donate.

For the Anglican Op Shop in Goonellabah, this is Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm, and Saturday's 9am to 12pm.