INCREASINGLY, I get the impression that too many people have lost any sense of what charity bins are for.

They are being turned into rubbish dumps and this summer the problem seems worse than ever before.

Things I’ve seen dumped on the footpath next to charity bins include old analogue televisions, stained and torn mattresses, fans, heaters and coolers obviously long trashed, refrigerators and washing machines, broken chairs and tables, packing crates, old broken computers and printers, piles of filthy rags and used disposable nappies, fencing and roofing material and, on one occasion, a dissembled outboard boat motor.

Much of this stuff is absolutely no use to our charities and, if dumped in or near their bins, it costs them to have it removed and taken to the dump.

The ACT Government recently conducted a hard rubbish pick up trial, but it was skillfully designed by cost-wary bureaucrats to ensure minimal take-up of the service. It didn’t get a lot of publicity and I certainly didn’t hear about it.

When we lived across the border in Queanbeyan, we made good use of an excellent hard rubbish pick-up service which was easy to organise for any household twice a year. Maybe the ACT Government could revisit this and work harder to enforce the penalties for dumping.

If you are unsure of what is or isn’t wanted by charities it is usually listed on the side of bins or for more detail go to tams.act.gov.au/live/recycling-waste/options/recycling_reusable_items/charities which gives you information on what kind of items they require and numbers you can ring to organise a pick up.

For everything else, be responsible and get a trash pack, mini skip or, for that all-time family favourite adventure, go for a weekend trip to the dump.