Unwanted gifts, broken toys and dirty clothing are among the items being given to op shops in the region, but Dubbo Salvation Army Lieutenant Mark Townsend said he's had no reports of a significant increase in unusable goods in Dubbo.
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Lieutenant Townsend said there was always a small number of donated items which were thrown away.
"We're very grateful to the people who donate. The vast majority of items are very much appreciated and are able to be used," he said.
The post-holiday period is typically a good time for donations and The Salvation Army Family Store temporarily stopped accepting donations due to a great influx.
"All of our homes have a lot of new things at Christmas time that they need to find room for so they usually have a bit of a clean out," Lieutenant Townsend said.
In areas such as Bathurst there has been an increase in rubbish being left at donation points prompting the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations (NACRO) to educate the public on quality donations.
Chief executive officer Kerryn Caulfield said this time of year could be heartbreaking for volunteers when they return after the break to find dirty, broken household rubbish dumped amongst the donations.
"Giving unusable or broken goods to a charity bin or op shop is not a donation- it is dumping waste and the cost of disposal of this rubbish takes away funds needed for the charities' community programs," Ms Caulfield said.
NACRO said there were three tips to assist charity op shops: asking yourself if you would give the item to a friend in need, donating direct to the op shop during operating hours and putting damaged items in the rubbish bin.
