This article Goodwill stores have a message: Please stop donating trash annoyed me. Reading Steeves, of Goodwill Northern New England’s ‘ simple tip” for anyone interested in donating items to a thrift store: “If you wouldn’t give it to your judgy mother-in-law,” she said, “then don’t donate it.” I agree if you wouldn’t use it or re-wear it, you should probably not donate it. The issue that makes this hard is the old idiom “One man trash is another man’s treasure”. This summer we tackled our garage cleaning and I set a dozen or so cider jugs and just as many Swing top bottlesin a crate, along with some construction material. I had learned that Habitat for Humanity will not take open boxes of material (I know, what bullshit). Luckily, I learned this while a couple was in line behind me, and they were happy to take all my extra wooden flooring. It was just enough to complete their mud room, so that was a good moment. Though I digress- back to the cider jugs, my plan was to leave them at the curb, and if they were still there on Thursday, I would haul them to Goodwill. Thankfully, it was all gone, minus a bag of chocolate colored grout. I do, however, think these things should be acceptable. After all, they take old cords, kitchen knives, and faux wooden furniture. I was surprised to read that their biggest complaint was the cost of haul away. I was more shocked to read that “Goodwill Industries International, of which the local independent agencies are members, doesn’t collect data on trash expenses”. How could they complain about something if they had no evidence?
