A pile of trash sits in front of the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Oshkosh. (SVDP photo)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Staff members at the St. Vincent de Paul store in Oshkosh are begging community members to stop using their drop-off sites as garbage disposals.
This week, a truck and trailer was caught on camera dumping a full load of items in front of the St. Vincent de Paul Oshkosh thrift store at 3 a.m.
“A truckload of garbage. That’s the only thing I can call it,” says Terri Imming, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Oshkosh board.
“It’s almost a mindset that none of us can understand. I don’t know why people would want to do that, but unfortunately, they do,” Imming adds.
“Dirty bras, dirty underwear, a jacket that looked like someone rolled in the mud, boxes full of mold,” says Becky Resop, a pricing room supervisor at the thrift store. “Broken pots, bags with things coming out of it, which is typical. We get that a lot, but that was just an insane amount.”
Resop often sifts through the massive amounts of donations that come into the store.
“A lot of times, we do get a lot of trash. I’ve opened and found dirty diapers. I’ve put my hand in a pumpkin pie, and that’s really gross. But you know, it’s just frustrating when we’re here to help the people, and then we get garbage and have to get rid of it,” Resop adds.
Resop and Imming say they’ve captured plenty of people on camera dumping trash in their parking lot. Everything from soiled clothing, old couches and furniture, to stained mattresses. But this recent overnight case was one of the worst they’ve experienced.
“Unfortunately, what we had to do was call the guys that [were working] on another job, go out front, take our truck, shovel all that in the truck, and then we had to take it to the garbage dump, which we had to pay for,” Imming says.
Each time they take their truck to the dump, which is typically a few times a month, it costs around $70.
While it may not sound like much, Imming reiterates that it’s money that could have gone to a family in need, to help them buy groceries or pay rent as part of their voucher programs.
“Like, really?” Imming says. “We’re a thrift store, and like I said, everything we do is for the community. So when people do that, they’re just harming themselves or other people that could [benefit] from what we do.”
“We really want to help the community, and we do a great job of it, I feel. So please don’t bring us your trash. That’s all we ask,” Resop adds.
The store is asking for the community’s help in identifying those responsible for the recent trash dumping. They have not yet reached out to police.
Employees say they have contacted law enforcement in the past about previous incidents, but there’s nothing they can do.
The Oshkosh Police Department tells says if people are caught illegally dumping trash at the thrift store, they would be in violation of city ordinance 23-12(B), which is littering. The fine for that is $232.
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