The cost of leaving donations outside

Each year it costs charities $312,000 to remove items left outside donation stations ...

Donations left outside a charitable donation station, even if of good quality, will almost certainly be damaged by vandals or weather and have to be removed by charities and disposed of, both at their cost.

Goods left outside charitable donation stations are the source of complaints from members of the public, shopping centre strata managers, and council authorities and ultimately result in the removal of bins, which impacts charities in lost revenue from the sale of donations.

If something is of such a size that it cannot fit through the donation chute then it can’t be donated through a charity drop box. Some charities offer free home pickups of furniture or other items that are too large for donation through the chutes.