Charity bins full of trash

Broken appliances and food scraps strewn around charity collection bins are ruffling feathers in Wellington’s Karori suburb.

Resident Di Brittain lives near five of the bins in Raine St – close to the New World supermarket – and wants them removed.

‘‘I would hate to think what s... they have inside. If rats are hanging around, there would have to be food dumped inside too.

‘‘We don’t need bins on every street as the ones in Parkvale Rd are well kept and emptied weekly.’’

Brittain contacted Wellington City Council a few months ago to point out how much of an eyesore the bins were and to see if a skip could be placed there instead.

She said her concerns had been met with no reply.

Council spokeswoman Victoria Barton-Chapple said a complaint had been received in April and the charities responsible for the Karori bins had been contacted.

While two of the bins carry the Child Cancer Foundation logo, chief executive Robyn Kiddle said they were managed by the Textile Recycling Centre and SaveMart. ‘‘We are one of a number of charities and community organisations ... who receive donations from them but the foundation has not been involved with the management of the bins.’’

Textile Recycling Centre Wellington manager Chris Bates said he was contacted by the council in April but hadn’t heard from residents, despite contact numbers being displayed on the bins.

The bins were cleared out weekly, with extra pick-ups on request. ‘‘We’ve tried having signs and placing the bins near high-traffic areas but it hasn’t worked.’’

He urged anyone who saw people dumping inappropriate items to report it via the numbers on the bins.