Dumpsters behind the MCC Thrift Store in Steinbach are now locked after hours.

Hardware/ Furniture Manager Jason Hiebert explains it is for safety reasons.

"What we were finding was after hours we had individuals in the dumpsters and our concern was for safety," he says. "We do throw out some items like a broken pot, some steel with jagged edges, we don't want the individuals to hurt themselves."

But that is not the only reason. Hiebert says many people drop off their donations in boxes behind the building overnight. Individuals have been caught taking those boxes and emptying the contents in the dumpster. Then they climb into the dumpster and sort through the items, claiming whatever they like as their own.

Hiebert says for safety reasons and to honour their donors, they decided to contact the city of Steinbach about getting locked bins. That has now happened in the last month.

Meanwhile, Hiebert says staff is often asked why such nice items are junked at the store. He notes there could be a few reasons for that. First of all, he ensures the public they have a wonderful sorting process made up of dedicated managers, employees and volunteers. These individuals are removing items that either can not or should not be re-sold. In some cases, it is for legal reasons where a product has a safety sticker that is only applicable for the original sale. In other cases, such as chemicals, they won't re-sell if they are not 100 per cent positive what is inside.

"We also have situations where we have a bag that comes in, it looks in good shape, we open it up and it's full of mold, it's been sitting in a basement," explains Hiebert. "We can't clean that mold for safety reasons."

That bag and its contents are placed in the dumpster so that employees and volunteers do not need to handle the mold.

Hiebert reminds the public that old box televisions and computer monitors, fax machines and old mattresses are also not sold at their store.

He notes a lot of unwanted product is recycled, such as glassware, metal and even clothing.

The dumpsters behind the store have been locked overnight for a few weeks now and Hiebert says they feel confident they are creating as safe an environment as possible for the public.

"There won't be anybody climbing into there and potentially cutting themselves," he says. "We're hoping that people respect that if there's donated product beside the building that they won't sift through it."