Thrift stores in Airdrie are facing a big problem, and they say it's getting worse.

The stores are finding people continuously dumping unwanted materials near their store instead of taking them to the transfer site.

Many thrift stores including the Salvation Army and Goodwill say they've seen an increase in dumping since the changes to Airdrie's Waste and Recycling Rules in April, limiting households to one bag of garbage a week.

Rebecca Powers, Owner of Community Thrift Store is experiencing the same problem and says there seems to be no common sense for those who dump near her store.

"We have signs on the door saying what we don't take, but they don't care. They just want a place to take it so they don't have to pay the fees."

Among some of the items that Powers finds almost every day are wrecked mattresses, ripped couches, old exercise equipment and even a raw chicken.

While some Thrift Stores in Airdrie have trucks that can haul away unwanted items, the same can't be said for Powers who has to pay to have a truck pick up the garbage, which cuts back on their support to the Airdrie Food Bank.

"It takes out of that to take all of this stuff to the dump. I don't have a big truck so I have to pay someone to come and pick it up and then take it to the dump."

According to the City of Airdrie Waste and Recycling Department, they've received no complaints from the stores regarding the unwanted dumping and fees at the transfer site haven't changed since January 2016.

Currently the rates at the transfer site are $40 for a level truckload, $3 for each garbage bag/unit if it's less than a truckload.*

*Data taken from the City of Airdrie, Waste and Recycling Department.

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