Those " disappearing " charity bins !

Have you noticed that the charity bins provided by the Smith Family, Salvation Army, St Vinnies and other welfare groups to gather discarded clothing and family items for distribution to the poor - have become almost impossible to find ?

They used to be everywhere.   At most petrol stations.   Alongside church halls and even tucked away discreetly on council land in major shopping centres.   Perhaps the one thing we do tend to remember about them - is that they were usually surrounded by an unsightly mess.

Many people failed to separate  " useful items " from " hopeless junk " and these bins became surrounded by piles of badly soiled mattresses, broken items of furniture - and even refrigerators and washing machines that had long ceased to work.   This was exacerbated by predators who dragged the bin contents into the open - looking for treasure - and left it exposed to be ruined by the weather.

The charities faced an ever growing bill for disposing of what was really other people's rubbish.  The good hearted businesses who allowed the bins on their land became disillusioned by the unholy mess that surrounded them - and reluctantly withdrew consent - and this valuable charity service died a lonely death.

Now a new problem has arisen !

The change from analog to digital television transmission has induced many people to reject the set-top box option - and buy a spanking new big digital TV set.   That raises the question of what to do with that old analog set !

Big numbers of people are taking the " charity " course.  Simply dumping it outside premises used by the Salvos, St Vinnies or some other charity.   The assumption is that these sets will find a home with the poor - and therefore they are making a valuable " charity " donation.

Unfortunately the numbers are way beyond demand.  Somewhere between ten and fifteen TV sets suddenly appear each week - and this and other junk  represents sixteen tonnes of rubbish to be hauled to the tip every two weeks - at a cost of about $30 per television.     That's money the charities desperately need to help with utility bills and provide food vouchers.

What frustrates the charities - is that this is totally unnecessary.   The council has a service to remove unwanted TV's, fridges, washing machines and other junk from people's homes - for free.   All you need to do is phone  Council - and make an appointment for their truck to call - then put the items kerbside the night before.

What does it take to achieve a mind change in people's thinking ?