For those at The Salvation Army in Austin, the latest adage seems to be that one person's trash is another's headache.

Piles of solvents, warped tables, cracked and ruined box springs and inoperable stoves have been appearing on the Salvation Army's lot lately.

Lori Espe, the organization's volunteer and programs coordinator, said there are some who are well-intentioned with their belongings and want to donate it to the army. Unfortunately, they are usually beyond a condition that's worth giving to someone else.

Others, however, are much more direct and drop off items that should have been directly taken to the junkyard.

Espe said it's important for donations to come between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for a multitude of reasons, not the least of people having to sift through questionable items.

"If they bring it after hours, it's going to get rained on," she said. "If it's good stuff, people are going to steal it. That wasn't the purpose that people may have originally had.

"In years past, kids have come by and lit items on fire. I want to make sure we're secure. There's many reasons why we ask people to bring them during store's regular hours."

Espe, however, said she doesn't want it to appear that the store is discouraging people from donating items that others could use.

"If it's a piece of furniture and they'd like us to pick it up, call the thrift store. We'll pick it up on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I do appreciate the people that donate to us and help us out. I would just like to see the bad things stopped."