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Opinion: Thrifting in Delta benefits both sides of the transaction

I’m one of those people who love to go “thrifting,” a term coined by today’s youth who also love a bargain.
thrift
In South Delta, we have four fabulous thrift stores, writes Community Comment columnist ML Burke.

I’m one of those people who love to go “thrifting,” a term coined by today’s youth who also love a bargain.

I relied on thrift shops when I was raising my kids as a single parent and since those days I still frequent thrift shops for bargains and hidden treasures. In fact, my necklace collection is threatening to overtake an entire wall resulting in the need to do some serious decluttering.

In my decades of thrifting I think Delta has the best thrift stores in Metro Vancouver. Most are non-profits raising funds for their causes, although Talize, a large-scale, well-organized, for-profit enterprise in North Delta, has staff rather than volunteers. The 11 Talize stores in Canada each donate around $2,500 a year to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

There is, however, a dilemma happening in the recycling culture that needs addressing. Most folks are responsible when donating their clothes and other useable items, but some are using the thrift shops, donation bins and non-profit pick-up services, like Big Brothers, as a free dumping opportunity.

This is putting a huge financial burden on organizations as they have to first sort through reams of bags and boxes to find anything good or clean enough to sell and then pay to have the rest of it taken to the dump, which adds to the growing landfill.

Talize manager Jag Bish said that seven to eight mattresses per week are dumped behind his North Delta store. It costs $200 to $300 a month to hire someone to take those mattresses to the dump where they charge $15 a mattress unit (includes a box spring). People also dump Gyproc into his cardboard compactor.

By the way, the City of Delta offers a coupon to Delta households for two free mattress drop-offs per year. They’re available at city hall and the North Delta Recreation Centre when ID is shown.

In South Delta, we have four fabulous thrift stores. The Delta Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop, also known as Ladner’s only department store, takes up three separate shops along Delta Street in Ladner Village offering household items, clothing and select furniture. The furniture store also hosts collectible events and becomes a Christmas store during November and December.

Angie Smith, the coordinator of volunteers for Ladner’s three stores, says they bring in an impressive $1.1 million a year for Delta Hospital thanks to the 250-plus dedicated volunteers who do the frontline work of sorting, fixing and selling. They have the lowest prices but also have an ongoing problem with people raiding their bins or discarding un-saleable or non-recyclable items after hours.

Tsawwassen offers three different thrifting experiences. The Hospice Cottage Charity Shoppe on 56th Street is the priciest and supports Delta Hospice’s programs and services. KinVillage has the popular Unique Boutique located inside the Tsawwassen seniors’ centre and DYSL Warehouse Thrift Store supports youth in Delta through its 56th Street operation.

For those who are using these stores as a free dumping ground, please stop. You are hurting the people these organizations are trying to help.

If you are discarding or donating something, maybe ask yourself, “Do you think you would buy that?” Meanwhile, have yourself a jolly time thrifting.

ML Burke retired from the health sector to work on issues such as affordable housing. She sits on the Delta Seniors Planning Team and Delta’s Community Liveability Advisory Committee.