Donating Unwanted Items

Ballina is an op shop lovers delight and for good reason – we have over 15 local op shops.

Op shop etiquette

Only about 5 – 10% of donated goods are actually sold on the shop floor, the rest is sent to landfill (at a financial cost to charities and an environmental cost to us all) or shipped overseas (moving our problem to others).

Please follow the golden rule of donating: only donate something you would proudly give to a friend or family member. No broken, stained or ripped items. Consider the volunteers that will be sorting through your donations.

Different op shops accept different items, so contact the shop beforehand to be sure they can accept your donations and only donate during open hours. 

Do not pile unwanted items at the front of the store- this is illegal dumping and most shops have cameras.

Download our op shop map here: Op Shop Map

Check our guide for getting rid of unwanted items for other ways to get rid of things beside landfill: Tips for getting rid of unwanted items factsheet(PDF, 2MB)