Images shared online have shown shocking scenes of fly-tipping outside a St Luke’s Hospice shop in Harrow Weald, with bags, furniture and other items left scattered across the pavement.
The hospice says the problem is happening regularly at its shops across Harrow and Brent, with staff and volunteers arriving in the morning to find items dumped outside entrances.
While some of those leaving items may believe they are making a donation, St Luke’s says anything left outside when a shop is closed cannot be accepted and often has to be treated as waste.
Items left outside Harrow Weald shop
Recent incidents at the Harrow Weald branch have involved large quantities of clothing, household items and other belongings being left outside overnight.
Sharon DeFreitas, Retail Operations Manager at St Luke’s Hospice, said: “Many people think they’re leaving a donation. But the moment it’s left on the footpath, it stops being a donation and becomes rubbish. We can’t use it, we can’t sell it and we have to pay to remove it.
“Every bag left outside drains resources that should be helping to fund hospice care.”
Items left outdoors can become wet, damaged or contaminated, while bags are sometimes opened and their contents spread across the pavement.
Sharon explained: “If an item is left outside overnight, you don’t know what’s happened to it. Animals could have contaminated it, it could have been damaged by the weather, or people could have gone through the bags, taken what they want and left everything scattered across the footpath. It’s simply not safe, and we can’t use it.
“It’s a cost to us in terms of waste disposal, but it’s also a cost in staff and volunteer time. Instead of serving customers, sorting donations and raising money for patients and families, they’re having to clear fly-tipping from outside our shops.”
The latest concerns come after Harrow Online reported earlier this year that a fly-tipping hotspot on Weighton Road in Harrow Weald was being cleared of bulky waste, including mattresses, fridges and furniture, “every couple of days”, according to a local resident.
Reports coming in every day
The issue is not limited to Harrow Weald, with similar incidents being reported at St Luke’s shops elsewhere in Harrow and Brent.
“I get pictures every day. Sometimes it’s one bag, sometimes it’s five or six, but there’s nearly always something left outside,” Sharon said.
The hospice stressed that donations from local residents remain important to its shops, but said they need to be handed over when staff are present.
“The money raised through our shops helps us provide vital care and support to local people and their families,” Sharon said. “But no one is doing the hospice a favour by leaving things outside. If it’s left on the footpath, it’s fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is an offence, and instead of raising money for the hospice, those items end up costing us money.”
Her message to residents is: “Please bring your donations into the shop during opening hours and hand them to a member of the team. If the shop is closed, come back when it reopens or visit another St Luke’s shop.
“We want your donations. We just need them to reach us safely so we can turn them into money for hospice care.”
Hospice asks people not to leave items outside
St Luke’s is also asking people donating clean but unwearable clothes and textiles to place them in a separate bag marked “rag”, allowing them to be identified for textile recycling.
Anyone looking to donate larger items such as furniture or electrical goods is being asked to contact the hospice beforehand rather than leaving them outside a shop.
The hospice says the main message is simple: donations should only be handed in while its shops are open, rather than being left unattended on the pavement.
NOW READ:
Harrow campaigner speaks out as London fly-tipping hits record levels
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
