Meanies’ rubbish overwhelms charity shop
Unwanted and broken goods have been dumped outside Rangiora’s Salvation Army Family Store over Christmas.
Resident Sandra Harwood said the footpath outside the store was ‘‘turning into a dump . . . It’s unfair on staff who work there’’.
Typically, she saw a small collection outside the store at weekends, but over the Christmas break the small pile had turned into a mountainous eyesore.
‘‘It’s not the Salvation Army’s problem: the people of Rangiora are responsible,’’ she said.
Rangiora Salvation Army officer Sharryn McAuliffe said the problem had been escalating over the past few months with people dumping ‘‘rubbish’’ outside the shop after business hours.
‘‘It’s probably because they’re not wanting to take it to the dump. It’s broken furniture and old mattresses,’’ she said.
‘‘We have signs saying we don’t take TVs and people have been dumping a lot of TVs.
‘‘We have so much stuff blocking the way we can’t even get into the garage. They think it’s a cheap way of getting rid of it.
‘‘The more we have to spend on dumping it, the less food parcels we’ll be able to give out and the less we can do for the community.’’
Rangiora construction company Summerhill Building has offered to help the store get rid of any unwanted goods.