Some folks have been pointing out that those clothing donation bins around town are actually illegal. The city did not approve of having them on the sidewalk but has had a hard time removing them completely. They apparently come from
New Jersey of all places and actually do not donate the clothes to the poor. An article in the Daily News mentions that a for-profit company eventually washes and resells the donated items for a profit as recycled garments:
LINK
don't know if you can call this a "scam". they are technically doing what they say which is recycling. we are just used to them being donated to the needy. obviously the whole just dropping them around the 'hood illegally is a concern. not sure what the issue is in getting rid of them. if it was in midtown the bomb squad would be called in. the city should just forklift them into a dumpster one day. problem solved.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a scam insofar as most of these bins have text that suggests that the clothing will be donated. For free. The companies obfuscate by mentioning that they support certain charities or certain causes. The majority of these are placed in front of empty lots because the lot owners are not present daily/weekly to object.
ReplyDeletePlacing these bins on sidewalks is illegal. 311/the Sanitation Department has a specific form for clothing bins that can be mailed or faxed over. The issue in getting rid of them is that the company is given some period of time to remove the bin (30 or 45 days) before sanitation destroys them. The company will wait until the penultimate day for removal and simply cart the thing off to place somewhere else (illegally).
It's an issue that needs to be addressed in a more comprehensive fashion by litigating against or penalizing the companies that are doing this. The piecemeal removals are not the solution.
The New York Times ran an article about this recently, noting that the number of illegal bins that have been flagged by Sanitation has increased from 91 in 2010 to 2006 as of June 2014.
In any event, I encourage everyone to place a 311 complaint for any of these that you see. Sanitation is reliable in evaluating the situation and stickering the illegal bin for removal, though the turnaround time varies.
I saw this article last week, too. Really disappointing. But now what? I am looking for a place to drop off some lightly-used clothing and shoes in West Harlem. I'm all for turning a blind eye to the shady donation bins near my building, but does anyone have alternative (and local) suggestions?
ReplyDeleteIf there are least 10 units in your building, then you can apply to the city for an official NYC clothing donation bin (assuming there's space in the building to place it). Our building started this and it's a great way to continue to recycle clothing through a program that is 100% non-profit and that benefits a number of programs (in addition to their main partner).
ReplyDeleteThe link is below:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/stuff/clothing.shtml
That's fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing that information.
DeleteThanks! This is really good to know!
DeleteThere's a Goodwill on 5th Avenue and about 135th Street.
ReplyDeleteYou can donate to Salvation Army and it is also a tax deduction
ReplyDeleteLast week I walked past one that was knocked over, chewed oped and someone was sleeping in it.
ReplyDeleteIt doesnt matter.because churches throwl donated clothes in the trash if no takes them! As long as it recycled it shouldn't matter what they do.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if any of the charities will pick up? I have two BIG bags of lightly worn women's clothes (nice - name brand, professional attire) that I would very much like to donate, but I'm having trouble making it to one of the goodwill or salvation army locations (they're very heavy and I'm at work during their regular hours). Suggestions would be very much appreciated!
ReplyDeletein my experience, no, they will not pick up. Please try and make the time to make a drop off. . .Salvation Army, Goodwill, et al, have centrally located drop off points. Tour donations really do make a difference. Most are open Saturdays.
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