Syringes, donations and junk left outside Salvos in Shepparton

Syringes, mattresses, fridges and clothes are just some of the things being left outside a popular opportunity shop in Shepparton.People have once again piled up donations and rubbish in a heap outside the Salvos in Rowe St over the weekend.Manager of 3 Treasure Foods Michael D'Amore said he had been trying to build his business, but could not bring customers and clients in because of the rubbish — including syringes — left in front of his Rowe St entrance.“It's soul draining when there's crap everywhere,” he said.“The needles around are a hazard and rubbish has to be moved so we can get in.”Mr D'Amore said despite Greater Shepparton City Council taking two truck-loads of rubbish away from Rowe St as recently as two weeks ago, people were back to their old habits.“It's not working, whatever is being done by the EPA (Environment Protection Authority) or the council,” he said.3 Treasure Foods also owns a vacant property next door to its factory, where people have reportedly been leaving furniture, making renovations difficult.Mr D'Amore said the rubbish and donations forced pedestrians, including people with prams, to walk on the road instead of the footpath.Less than two weeks ago, a large amount of donations and household waste was left outside the Salvos in the rain, forcing workers to take the spoiled items to the tip.Council director of corporate services Chris Teitzel said illegal dumping of waste was difficult to enforce, but if people were caught, they would face a $6700 fine.He said council had cleaned up waste outside Salvos five times since mid-December last year, costing ratepayers $500 each time.“Maybe signage needs to be tweaked, we’re working with them on that,” Mr Teitzel said.“The syringes in the mix are a big public safety concern.“We’re talking to the Salvos about what CCTV they have, too,” he said.Council urged people to consider donating to other opportunity shops with bins operating outside office hours and to consider home pick-up options and the Shepparton Resource Recovery Centre, which is open on weekends.Council spent $115 000 investigating, cleaning up and enforcing illegal dumping of waste in the Greater Shepparton area in 2018, Mr Teitzel said.Nationally, the Salvos spend $6 million each year sorting through belongings and taking rubbish to the tip, according to a spokesperson for the charity.