ARE-ABLE Nigretta, previously known as the Western District Employment Association (WDEA), is reminding locals of the conditions for the SCRgroup clothing ‘drop off hubs’, as they have been consistently met with having to dispose of unrecyclable and damaged donations.

Are-able is a not-for-profit organisation that has made it their mission to help employers and job seekers find a range of employment opportunities, and offer services including the collection of the SCRgroup donation bins located in the Hamilton Cellarbrations’ car park, near the Woolworth’s loading dock.

The SCRgroup is Australia’s largest and most innovative company for the recovery of Australia’s unwanted clothing, diverting over 30 million kilograms of clothing from landfill each year and giving them a second life in local and global communities where they are needed most.

Whilst the organisation appreciates every donation, Are-able Nigretta site manager, Jamie Lynas, said that the conditions that the donated items are left in can be disheartening at times on bin collection mornings.

“We are generally met with clothing strewn everywhere, sometimes people leave bags of rubbish,” he said.

“It is also an issue if people leave loose clothing at the bins on the weekend, if it rains, we also have to dump the majority of this.”

Are-able Nigretta reminds locals that the SCRgroup currently only accepts four types of donations- clothing, shoes, handbags, and fashion accessories.

With the introduction of e-waste drop-off hubs in Victoria, users can now also drop-off their small electricals for recycling as long as they are sheltered properly.

All other materials, including books, toys, furniture, prams, bikes, suitcases, TVs, picture frames, child seats and rubbish are NOT accepted as donations.

“We also are not able to recycle bedding- so pillows, cushions and doonas have to be dumped at our expense,” Mr Lynas said.

Both Are-able and SCRgroup remind bin-users to check that all three bins are full before dumping donation bags out the front, to prevent excess cluttering and damage to donated materials, as well as reduce any environmental impacts.