An Auckland community is furious as people persist in dumping their unwanted items outside a Salvation Army store, resulting in an ugly eyesore to pile up.
A photo snapped just before 6am on Monday captures piles of items including a bed, couches and clothes completely covering the footpath outside the Salvation Army in New Lynn, Auckland.
Niko Smith, who took the photo, was "born and bred" in New Lynn. He said back in the 1980s and 90s it used to be a cool place to live but now it's a "shithole"
"New Lynn is turning to crap," he told Newshub.
Smith posted the photo onto a community page where it caused a stir.
"Why do people dump 'donations' when they are closed??" one person commented.
"It's not helpful and I saw this yesterday with people rifling through it. The volunteers have to come to work today and deal with this, it's illegal and there will be CCTV."
"We will lose the Salvation Army store if it gets treated like that. Volunteers work there, imagine showing up to work and seeing this mess and dealing with it for free. It’s just wrong," another person wrote.
"It is disrespectful and lazy. Nearly every Monday morning You see a mess like this. I feel sorry for the staff," said a third.
A spokesperson from the Salvation Army said they encourage people to bring their donations during open hours at their Family Stores or people can access their free pick-up service by ringing 0800 4 COLLECT.
They said New Lynn is one of the larger Family Stores across the motu, and therefore tends to receive more donations than some of our other locations.
The spokesperson added the image appeared to be taken during closing hours when staff are not on-site to help take donations.
However, Smith believed some people purposely waited until closing time to dump their items.
According to Auckland Council, those caught illegally dumping face instant fines of $400 and in some cases up to $30,000 on successful prosecution.
Newshub.
