I was shocked to read that almost half of the goods given to charities by the public are unusable ("Trashy donations hamper charities' work"; Jan 22).

It is dismaying to know that there are people in Singapore who would donate rubbish.

I agree with Dr William Wan ("Donating unsuitable items a sign of disrespect"; Jan 30) that such people have no respect for the poor and needy.

They also have no consideration for the people who have to sort through the items.

Highlighting the deeds of such people is a good first step.

But people tend to be forgetful.

Going forward, I recommend that more proactive steps be taken to remind people to refrain from donating such unusable items.

Perhaps bold signs could be placed at collection points, reading: "Would you like to receive what you donated?"

This might jolt the conscience of these donors.

Toh Peck Yin (Madam)