Donation drop-offs are not places to dump unwanted trash and volunteers are growing tired of sorting through inappropriate donations made to survivors of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
High heels, dirty lingerie and ripped clothing have been tossed into the donation pile but it’s not a useful contribution. Volunteers have to toss it in the garbage and it’s just a waste of time for people who are stuck having to sort the junk.
TikTok videos reveal volunteers checking boxes and pulling out items such as 10-inch latex heels, a silver party crop top, brown-stained towels and lingerie. Dirty clothes are not going to help those recovering from a natural disaster.
A commentator wrote: “Those people also have pride. Does your conscience not hurt at all? It is enough for God’s sake. Please, enough.”
Volunteers have appealed for a “donate with dignity” to address the inconsiderate donation pieces. Erim Metto, CEO of the Turkish Cypriot Community Association, based in London, explained that a fifth of all donations were “inappropriate” or “unusable.”
“We were very clear about what donations we would accept. We did say we would not accept any inappropriate clothing,” Metto said.
“For example, no thin-layer clothing, dresses or high heels. When donations come through, we do a two-stage cycling system. The first stage is removing any second-hand, no-good-for-anything donations.
“Our volunteers filter these through and they are discarded – for example, hygiene products that are only half-full and have been used. This is not appropriate. Such donations are thrown away.
“Once we get through that first stage, anything that is again not appropriate for the location we are gathering donations for, but is still usable, we would package separately and give to Trade.”
Donation boxes aren’t places to dump last night’s party attire. High heels aren’t going to deliver salvation to the earthquake survivors. People are urged to avoid using donation boxes as a dumpster.
Source: https://www.tiktok.com/@gizart_resinx/video/7197914467416460549