We, the undersigned, did not wish to raise this issue during the busy Christmas period, as we were conscious of the immense effort made by volunteers and staff to support the Society’s work and to raise much-needed donations for those in need. However, having since observed the significant volume of donated items being dumped, we feel it is important to raise our concerns openly and constructively.

We respectfully call on the management of the Society to uphold the principles and values set out in the charter of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, particularly with regard to stewardship and respect for donated goods. The disposal of large quantities of perfectly usable items is deeply concerning to many volunteers and staff who give their time in good faith.

The challenges involved in identifying and processing donated items are not the responsibility of retail or local store managers, many of whom are already working under considerable pressure. Managing high volumes of donations should not result in the dumping of viable goods.

We believe there are more effective, thoughtful, and compassionate ways to distribute donations to those in need, rather than large-scale disposal. As volunteers and staff, we want to see donations handled in a way that reflects the care and generosity with which they were given.

We therefore ask senior management and leadership to work collaboratively with volunteers and staff to explore more creative, sustainable, and practical approaches to distribution, and to reduce and ultimately eliminate the dumping of usable donated items.

Finally, we ask that greater transparency be provided by publishing information on the proportion of donated goods that end up in landfill, so that volunteers, staff, and supporters can better understand the outcomes of their efforts.