KITCHENER -- Several organizations have put a halt to their donation pickups and drop offs due to COVID-19 concerns, but some donation bins continue to pile up.
“We’re currently not in operation,” said Sean Shannon, CEO of Diabetes Canada. “We put up signs that said please do not deposit, do not leave anything because we are in shutdown mode like the rest of the world.”
One donation bin filled to the brim with items at Erb Street and Ira Needles Boulevard in Waterloo on Saturday had yellow caution tape around it. This likely means that most of the items in the bin will end up in the garbage.
The Region of Waterloo says bulky items that don’t fit into approve garbage bags or cans will not be collected until further notice.
Kidney Clothes is another organization that has suspended their operations, pickups, and drop offs until further notice.
“We appreciate that people are thinking about cleaning out their closet s and how they can help charities,” said Slyvia Krampelj, managing director of Kidney Clothes. “But we ask everybody to keep their donations at home and don’t dump.
“This is only causing health and safety concerns and all those items are going to end up in the landfill.”
Ivaka Siolkowsky, professional organizer of the Tidy Moose, says spring cleaners need to hang on to the items they want to donate for now.
“What I recommend is for people to still do the purge, put in in garbage bags, and put it in the basement,” she said. “If you have an apartment stick it in one corner of the home so its out of your way.”
Diabetes Canada and Kidney Clothes say once the pandemic is over the donations will be needed more than ever.
