A Prestonian trying to donate to a new re-use shop at the city’s tip was left disappointed.
AdvertisementEmma Jones, from Ingol, visited the Tom Benson Way household waste site just before Christmas.
She and her family had got together a load of bric-a-brac to go in Lancashire County Council’s new re-use shop.
Emma said: “We had read about the new re-use shop on Blog Preston and thought it sounded like a good idea, so we decided to support it.
“Had a big clear out and we had two big bag full of DVDs, books, shoe racks, jewellery and the like.
“We took it to Ingol and left it where the staff said. And then we saw them chucking it in the rubbish.
“I was really surprised as they had said they wanted the items, and disappointed as we would have taken them to a charity shop.”
The county council confirmed they are accepting items and there appeared to be a misunderstanding regarding the items.
A spokesman for the county council said: “We are currently accepting donations for the shop and are concerned at these reports, however we would ask people to contact us directly so that we are aware of all the circumstances and can investigate fully.
“We are currently storing donated items in a container and, as this is nearly full, will be transferring some of these to another building on site in the coming days to make space for further donations.
“If people have things they want to be reused which they would normally give to charity then we would encourage them to continue to do so. The shop is not there to take business away from other charities but to ensure more of the items that are due to be thrown away at the site are separated for reuse.
“Of course, if someone has an item we could reuse and they don’t have any affinity with a particular charity then we’d be more than happy to take direct donations on those occasions.
“We’re looking forward to opening the shop in mid-January, which will provide an affordable source of household goods and ensure that more of our waste is reused rather than recycled or thrown away.”
Anyone who has questions regarding taking items to the re-use shop can email wasteinfo@lancashire.gov.uk before taking the items there
Here’s what the re-use shop is due to stock:
• Soft furnishings such as armchairs; beds and mattresses; and sofas (with the appropriate safety labels).
• Hard furnishings such as bookcases; cabinets; chairs; chests of drawers; cupboards; tables; TV and hi-fi units; and wardrobes.
• Bric-a-brac including books, crockery, DVDs, CDs, records, ceramics and glassware.
• Toys and sports equipment such as bikes, golf clubs, jigsaws and board games.
Have you been donating items? What do you think about the idea? Let us know in the comments below