Charity supporters warned about fly-tipping
People who think they are doing the right thing by leaving bags of donations next to charity clothing banks could inadvertently be putting themselves at risk of a financial penalty.
Many people across North Ayrshire do their best to support local good causes by donating unwanted clothes and shoes to local charity shops or clothing banks that can be found in supermarket car parks, retail parks and other locations in communities.
Charities rely on these good-quality donations to sell through their shops, and the clothing banks also help save pre-owned items from being disposed of and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
At clothing banks, people donate clean clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, bedding, and towels in the familiar over-sized bins.
However, some people might not realise that if they attempt to donate items and leave them on the ground near these banks because it is full they are actually at risk of receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).
While the banks are regularly serviced, from time to time they can be filled by people clearing out wardrobes.
And dumping bags of donations rather than putting them inside the textile bank – even when your intentions are good - is classed as fly-tipping.
Quote: People think they are doing a good turn and don’t realise that by sitting bags of donations on the ground near the textile bins – rather than in them - they are actually fly-tipping. Also, donations that are placed near clothing banks– but not put into them – don’t actually make their way to be reused or recycled. This is because these items will be classed as ‘contaminated’ as they could be wet or dirty. I would encourage residents who want to support charities in this way to simply take their bag of donations back home or to a local charity shop - or try another clothing bank - if they find that the clothing bank they are trying to use is full.
Quote from: Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy
The Council’s Streetscene team is responsible for collecting fly tipped bags that are left on the ground, and officers can check these illegally-dumped bags for ID or evidence of an address to find out who is responsible for leaving them.
Bulky items, including furniture, are also often left next to charity banks even although the Council offer a bulky uplift collection service. On one occasion the Streetscene team found a hamster cage outside a clothing bank – with the wheel and dead hamster still inside it.
If there is photographic or CCTV evidence of a driver fly-tipping in this manner, the Streetscene team can trace the vehicle’s owner through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Anyone caught fly-tipping can receive a £500 penalty, which was introduced on 1 January, 2024, by the Scottish Government.
In 2024-25, the Council has issued the following FPNs: dog fouling, 25; littering, 64 and fly-tipping, 149.
Please note: To report fly-tipping and find out more about fixed penalties, please go to the Council website.
Published: 26 June 2025