Savi – Op Shop Finder

(When one man’s trash is just…. another man’s trash)

Every year Australians donate around 310,000 tonnes of clothing items to op shops. Unfortunately, more than 43,000 tonnes of that is unusable and heads straight to landfill. Even more sobering: only about 10% of donated items ever make it onto the shop floor. All this translates into huge rubbish disposal costs for op shops.

If you’ve ever stood in front of a bulging bag of “maybes” wondering Is this okay to donate? — spare a thought for the volunteers who have to open that bag and sort through it.

The “Friend Test”

Before donating, ask yourself one simple question:

Would I give this to a friend without apologising first?

If the answer is yes — donate away.
If the answer is “well… maybe they could use it for gardening?” — probably not.

To get a clearer picture, we asked op-shop volunteers about some of the worst things they’ve found in donation bags… and their answers didn’t disappoint.

Graveyard of Broken Dreams

Volunteers repeatedly told us the same thing: bags of what can only be described as household rubbish are dumped at op shops, often with great confidence. Many said they sometimes feel like a glorified tip with an op shop sign out front.

While we hate to point out the obvious: anything dirty, rusted, chipped, cracked, torn, stained, mouldy, covered in pet fur or infused with cigarette stench is not a donation — it’s going to be binned.

Regular “donations” included:

A Walk On The Wild Side

Then there’s the unmentionables. Or rather — the things we will mention, because they’re too bizarre not to.

Sex toys make their way into donation bins more often than you’d think. One volunteer mistook a dildo for a torch — until her co-workers stopped laughing long enough to explain. Another reported receiving a furry foxtail (hands-free variety). One op shop was gifted a full slave kit.

Op shops: bringing communities together in ways no one asked for.

Downright Dangerous

The least funny category for volunteers is the genuinely dangerous stuff. Donation bags are regularly opened to reveal syringes, drugs, broken glass, and other hazards no one should be encountering mid-shift.

There are also items unsafe for shoppers: old baby car seats, broken electronics, items with exposed wiring and cracked helmets or damaged safety gear.

Just Plain Gross

Yes, op shop staff have absolutely opened bags containing these things.
No, they did not enjoy it.

A special (horrifying) mention goes to the Daylesford Community Op Shop, which nearly closed after receiving a bag of fabric infested with bed bugs. Thousands of dollars’ worth of stock had to be destroyed, and the volunteer who opened the bag suffered bites across her body.

One bad donation can undo months of good work.

Right Place, Wrong time

Finally: after-hours donations. The silent killer.

Leaving items outside closed op shops exposes them to rain, heat, pests and opportunistic scavengers — turning perfectly good donations into instant landfill.

Donate treasure, not trash ❤️

For the love of god, think about the poor souls sorting through your donation. Good donations make volunteers’ lives easier, keep stuff out of landfill, and actually help charities help people.

Remember, op shops thrive on quality, not quantity.

Read Next: The Bigger Picture

Donating better is one way to make a difference — choosing secondhand is another.

Every op shop purchase helps reduce textile waste, cut emissions, and slow the fast-fashion churn. Our Op Shopping Statistics break down just how big that impact really is — and why buying secondhand matters more than ever.

References
2024-25 Charitable Reuse Australia Clothing Reuse Export Accreditation Scheme.
abc.net.au/news/2024-07-22/pressure-on-fabric-recycling-system-and-local-op-shops/104103836