The decision to remove bins was made due to  an increase in rubbish dumping and theft from the bins.

Orange Salvation Army Captain Greg Saunders said he would persevere with the bins, but urged people to make in-store donations during working hours.

“I think it’s a catch-22 situation, if we took the bins away people would still leave stuff there anyway,” he said.

“Sometimes people are moving house and it’s a very stressful time so they come and leave things late in the evening, and if the things don’t fit in the bins then they leave them there on the path.

“[However] it’s much better if they come to the store because someone can help them unload their things, or they can call us and we’ll arrange to have someone pick it up.”

Captain Saunders says while people do occasionally deposit “stupid things” in the bins, the situation in Orange is not as bad as Sydney, where dirty nappies and food scraps have been found in some Salvation Army donation bins.

“We occasionally get broken things, but the main thing we want to remind people to do is to think about the things they donate,” he said.

“Also if they just just leave things on the path it means they don’t care if they get stolen or rained on.”

Captain Saunders says the Salvation Army is grateful for the donations it gets and empties the donation bins daily.

“This is our busiest time of year. It’s when everybody’s at home cleaning out their stuff,” he said.

“Some people don’t like to go to the tip because they have to pay to leave their stuff, so sometimes they just give it to us.”

St Vincent de Paul Bathurst Central Council executive officer Frank Moes said the charity had no plans to remove Vinnies donation bins from Orange.

tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au