Trash Dumped at Springdale Thrift Store

Karl and Doris Jennes returned from vacation Sunday afternoon to a train wreck of broken furniture, moldy clothes, mattresses, palettes, used diapers and other trash strewn across the parking lot of the thrift store they manage.

"It was absolutely nauseating," said Doris Jennes of the Northwest Arkansas Medical Center Auxiliary Thrift Store.

Using thrift stores as a drop-off for unwanted and unusable junk is common, according to area thrift store owners and the Springdale Police Department. It happens four to five times each year at the store, Doris Jennes said.

The store accepts donations anytime it's open.

"But this wasn't a donation somebody left for us," Doris Jennes said.

The abandoned items blocked areas of the thrift store's parking lot and the path to the trash container, making it impossible for trash pickup to reach it Monday morning.

"We salvaged a couple of toys and three tennis rackets," Doris Jennes said. "Everything else was trash."

This is costly for the store, she said. Costs can reach upward of $600 for hauling unusable furniture, mattresses and other large items. Paying for an additional trash container, should they choose to do so, costs about $300, Doris Jennes said.

The store is operated by volunteers and supported by community donations. All of its proceeds go back to the community in the form of grants.

Another problem, Doris Jennes said, is her store's volunteers' limited physical ability to handle such items, as they are all in their 60s to 90s. Doris and Karl Jennes were able to make some progress Sunday, working for two hours to clear trash.

Monday morning, after sharing photos of their plight on their Facebook page Sunday, the Jenneses received help from Laurie Marshall, a Springdale resident. Marshall said she saw a friend post a photo of the trash on Instagram, and that she had an hour to help out. Marshall said she's a member of Team Springdale and part of that is helping make Springdale a better place to live.

"I'm just of the mind that if something needs to be done, and I can help do it, then I'll go do it," Marshall said.

Marshall and the Jenneses worked outside while the store's volunteers worked inside to clear boxes and wrapping materials from a previous donation.

Thrift stores that undergo abuse of their services may seek legal action should the perpetrators be identified. This has only happened once at the medical center thrift store, when the Jenneses found identification of the perpetrators on a yard sale sign left among the trash.

The Jenneses only had to threaten to press charges, though, before the perpetrators returned to the thrift store and cleared their trash.

Mary Allen, store manager of Second Chance Store, said people often leave items the thrift store can't use. They tend to do so after hours.

"Because then they know nobody's around," Allen said.

Her biggest concern is when people leave donations after hours and usable items are stolen.

Lt. Derek Hudson, public information officer for the Springdale Police Department, said the department has had issues with people looking through trash containers behind such businesses.

"People need to understand that they must follow drop-off rules for these businesses," Hudson said. "If they disobey the rules and dump trash or other items that are obviously not of use to the business, they could be cited for illegal dumping."

Illegal dumping is a misdemeanor under state law, he said.