Goodwill sees 10% increase in donations, making use of all items

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Some thrift stores in the area say they are getting more trash donations. Those items are items that cannot be sold or have very little value. But Goodwill is still finding a way to get treasure from the trash.

Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana has seen a 10% increase in donations since last year and they’re finding ways to make almost all of those donations work.

Every Goodwill is different. They operate four outlet stores as well as an extensive recycling operation. This allows them to get value out of items that people might not think have value. For example, a strand of Christmas lights that do not light up, Goodwill can recycle the metal inside the wire. That money then goes to support education, employment and health-based programs.

“A plastic push toy that’s missing a wheel, we can bail and sell as bulk plastic for recycling,” Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana vice president of Retail Operations Eric Schlegel said. “It’s just a few examples how those facilities allow us to accept a really wide range of donations and still get value out of them and keep them out of our landfills.”

There are items Goodwill can’t accept, those include household trash, mattresses, bedsprings and sofa beds. Other items include used tires, scrap lumber, concrete and bricks. Plus, televisions which Goodwill says happens quite often. If you need to properly dispose of a TV, the State of Indiana has a recycling program as well as the City of Indianapolis. Plus, many communities also have ways to get rid of large electronics.

The biggest message from Goodwill is to donate, because chances are, they can get value out of it.