Waukesha Women's Center unwanted donations; operators see rising trend
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Someone surprised The Women's Center in Waukesha with unwanted donations. It is part of a rising trend the organization is trying to stop.
Unwanted donations
What they're saying:
On Wednesday morning, May 13, Hannah Harris looked out of the window of The Women's Center in Waukesha, and was overwhelmed by unwanted donations.
"There’s just 12-15 garbage bags – some on a cart; some on the floor," Harris said. "There were clothes that were soiled and had tears in. There were a couple of bags just filled with damp towels."
Whatever the intention of the donor, Harris said none of the items could be used.
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"We’re seeing an uptick. We often see an uptick this time of year with people doing spring cleaning," Harris said.
Issue for nonprofits
Dig deeper:
The shelter added signs a few years ago, but drop-offs like the one seen on Wednesday have not stopped. It points to a larger issue for nonprofits and the country as a whole.
An EPA study in 2018 found each person in the U.S. threw away, on average, 103 pounds of textiles in a year. The National Institute of Standards and Technology reports only 15% of used clothes are ever reused. Most are too old or worn, and could be recycled instead.
"The stuff that was in those bags – no thrift store would have accepted," Harris said.
The Women's Center mission
What you can do:
Harris said workers can spend hours sifting through stuff. But that takes away time from the center's core mission of helping women who are escaping from domestic abuse.
New items like toiletries, housewares, and cleaning products are always welcome. It also serves another purpose too.
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"If we can give them that choice and that dignity through choice, why wouldn’t we do that?" Harris said.
The Women's Center updates its list of needed items weekly.
What you can do:
There are options for people who would like to recycle any clothing or textiles. Those options are listed below:
The Source: Information in this post was provided by The Women's Center.