Info Sheet LAST UPDATED: July 05 OPPORTUNITY SHOPS Australians have the potential to donate billions of dollars of good quality clothing and other items to charity op shops. Charity op shops in Australia already have some very committed helpers. Last year, more than 70,000 op shop volunteers performed a variety of roles including collection, sorting, administration, management and fundraising. So What Do We Have That Can Be Donated? Research shows that Australian women's wardrobes are bursting with potential for Aussie charity op shops. 6% of women have clothes in their wardrobe that have never been worn or still have tags on. 83% of women have clothes in their wardrobe that they have only worn once or twice. The research is good news for Australia's charity op shops. Demand has never been higher for the goods they sell, so these charity stores are in urgent need of good quality clothing donations. Other research shows that: 97% of Australian women have donated an item to a charity op shop at some point in their lives. nearly 9 out of 0 women (88%) have purchased something from a charity op shop. Source: 889 women took part in the survey into Australia's charity op shops. (between 9- August 03) How Much Are We Recycling? In 0, over 300,000 tonnes of clothing and household goods were donated via charity op shops and collection bins. billion items were sorted, with a significant amount being reused, recycled or upcycled. The donations were enough to fill 3,00 40 foot containers. An estimated 40% of the material that charity recyclers send to landfill arises from illegal dumping at op shops. Charities have to pay to dispose of this material - this diverts funds away from the community help that they provide. Source: NACRO (National Association for Charitable Recycling Organisations) Stats are also from NACRO's 'National Waste Policy Submission'
The Shire of Campaspe boosts 3 Opportunity Shops who are all doing a wonderful job in recycling items of good quality and keeping them out of landfill. Echuca Op Shops Anglican Op Shop Hare Street, Echuca (across from Forty Winks) N/A N/A Fridays - 8am to :30pm School Holidays - Wednesdays and Fridays - 8am to :30pm No Australian Red Cross Fountain Plaza Nish Street, Echuca 03 5480 736 N/A Monday - Friday 9:30am to 4pm Saturday - 0am to pm 3 & 4 Epicentre Op Shop 75 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca 03 5480 6 N/A Monday - Friday - 9:30am to 4pm 44 Meninya Street, Moama Saturday - 9:30am to :30pm 5 Salvation Army Second Chance Shop 9 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca 03 5480 98 N/A Monday - Friday - 9am to 5pm Saturday - 9am to pm 6 Vinnies Shop, Nish Street, Echuca 03 548 3568 N/A Monday - Friday - 9am to 4pm Every Second Saturday - 9am to pm 7 Echuca Environment Centre Recycle Shop 50 McKenzie Road, Echuca 03 5480 74 N/A Monday - Saturday - 8am to 4:45pm Sunday - 0am to 3:45pm Op Shops Salvation Army 3 Bradley Street, 03 5853 9 N/A Monday - Friday - 0am to 4pm Teen Challenge Thrift Shop 66 Allan Street, 03 585 37 thriftshop@teenchallenge.com.au Monday - Friday - 9am to 5pm Saturday - 9am to pm No 3 Vinnies Allan Street, 03 585 874 kyabram.centre@svdp-vic.org.au Monday - Friday - 9:30am to 4pm Saturday - 0am to pm
Rochester Op Shops Rochester Senior Citizens Op Shop Moore Street, Rochester N/A N/A Closed for Renovations - November 04 No Salvation Army Elizabeth Street, Rochester 03 5484 3090 N/A Monday - Friday - 0:30am to 3:30pm Saturday - 9:30am to pm Rushworth Op Shop Salvation Army Thrift Shop 9 High Street, Rushworth N/A N/A Monday - Friday - 9am to 4pm Stanhope Op Shop St Matthews Op Shop Birdwood Street, Stanhope N/A N/A Monday - Friday - 0am to :30pm Saturday - 0am to pm Tongala Op Shop Tongala Op Shop 66 Mangan Street, Tongala N/A N/A Tuesday - Friday - 0am to 3pm 3
4 6 5 3 3 4 5 6 7 Anglican Op Shop, Hare Street, Echuca Australian Red Cross, Fountain Plaza, Nish Street, Echuca Epicentre Op Shop, 75 Ogilvie, Echuca Epicentre Op Shop, 44 Meninya Street, Moama Salva on Army Second Chance Shop, 9 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca Vinnies, Shop, Nish Street, Echuca Echuca Environment Centre Recycle Shop, 50 Mckenzie Rd, Echuca 7 4
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Items Accepted at Campaspe Op Shops: Accepted Not Accepted Item Books Bric-a-Brac (including home wares) Clothing (Including handbags, shoes, accessories and jewellery) Craft Items (including wool, knitting needles, crochet, fabric remnants) Discontinued or Customer Returned Items (including items from retail stores or manufacturer s warehouses) Echuca Anglican Op Shop Australian Red Cross Epicentre Op Shop (including Moama Op Shop) Salvation Army Second Chance Store Vinnies Salvation Army Teen Challenge Thrift Shop Vinnies Rochester Rochester Senior Citizens Op Shop Salvation Army Rushworth Salvation Army Thrift Shop Stanhope St Matthews Op Shop Tongala Tongala Op Shop 7
Items Accepted at Campaspe Op Shops: Accepted Not Accepted Item Electrical Items Furniture Manchester (including sheets, towels, blankets, curtains and cushions) Sporting Goods (Small) (including cricket bats, shoes, etc) Sporting Goods (Large) (including treadmills, etc) Toys Echuca Anglican Op Shop Australian Red Cross Epicentre Op Shop (including Moama Op Shop) Salvation Army Second Chance Store Vinnies Salvation Army Teen Challenge Thrift Shop Vinnies Rochester Rochester Senior Citizens Op Shop Salvation Army Rushworth Salvation Army Thrift Shop Stanhope St Matthews Op Shop Tongala Tongala Op Shop Condi ons apply, contact the op shop for more informa on 8
Op Shop Do s and Don'ts Donating to your local op shop is a great way to support the fantastic welfare programs they provide for the community - but did you know that an estimated 40% of the items donated to op shops are thrown out? Why? Soiled, ripped, broken or otherwise unusable items can t be sold and become a problem for your local op shop - a costly problem. Charity op shops have to dispose of this material, paying expensive landfill fees and taking funds away from the community they are trying to help. Donating unusable junk amounts to illegal dumping at op shops. Don t be part of the problem! See below for some responsible tips on donating: Clothing: Clothes are sorted according to their wearability and marketability, so make sure items are clean and preferably wrinkle-free. Obvious stains, rips or broken zips etc will result in the item being rejected, so only donate clothes you would not be embarrassed to give to a friend. A missing button is ok, but try to make any small repairs before you donate. Fold clothing and put in a box or bag, don t shove into a bag on a hanger - it can damage the other clothes. Attach any things that come in pairs to each other. For example, tie shoes together with the laces; stuff socks or gloves into one another. At the very least, make sure they go into the same bag. Pockets should be emptied and any belts securely fastened around the clothing item they go with. If you have clothing that is soiled or ripped but is made from cotton, then put them all in one bag marked cotton. The op shop can send this off for recycling into stuffing or rag stock. Furniture, Bric-a-Brac Brac and other items: Some charities will pick up furniture, and will assess their condition on the spot (check with you local Campaspe op shop if they offer this service). If you are not sure about whether your furniture or other item is donatable condition, call your local charity op shop and ask them to clarify. A missing drawer in a dresser might exclude it for some charities, but others may accept it due to it s upcycling potential. All electrical items are tested before sale so don t bother donating something you know doesn t work. Remember, a charity bin is not a garbage bin! The better the condition of your donations, the more your donation really counts as it saves the op shop s resources for the needy. For more information on Australian Op Shops, please go to: http://www.dosomethingnearyou.com.au/national-op-shop-week For more information on Campaspe charity op shops, please contact the op shop directly or contact Council s Waste and Environment Unit on 300 666 535 9