Make clear what items are suitable for donation

Black sheep exist in every society, and donors are no exception ("Donating unsuitable items a sign of disrespect" by Dr William Wan; Jan 30).

There is no denying that there are people who treat charities like Food Bank Singapore and the Salvation Army as dumping grounds for unwanted items, but they are a rarity.

Sometimes, people are in a quandary over whether to donate or not, especially when they find it difficult to discern whether the items which they intend to give away are suitable for donation.

For fear of courting unnecessary inconvenience, many people are reluctant to give unwanted items to charity, and place them at the bin centres instead.

Those who benefit from this act are the rag-and-bone men, who may find things like used furniture and appliances to be in good condition and have resale value.

To encourage people who desire to donate genuinely for a good cause, charities would do well to define what items are suitable and what are not in their donation drives.

Hopefully, this will deter people from treating charities as rubbish bins.

Jeffrey Law Lee Beng

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 02, 2017, with the headline Make clear what items are suitable for donation. Subscribe