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City Council Moves To Seize Illegal 'Charity' Clothing Bins
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Aug 17, 2014
Modified Aug 17, 2014
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By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Aug 17, 2014
Modified Aug 17, 2014
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The City Council will vote on a measure that would allow the city to immediately seize the large metal clothing donation bins that litter city streets—a process that, at present, takes more than a month,
The large metal boxes, often bearing the terms "charity" or "donation" in large letters, direct passersby to drop clothes in them, presumably to be redistributed to the needy. Unfortunately, the clothing often ends up back in the market, making money for private companies. “This legislation will remove these eyesores from public locations and hold those who place them accountable,” City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced.
The textile-recycling market has become more than a million dollar industry in the United States, and clothing donors unwittingly contribute to it by donating to the illegally-placed bins.
“They take away money from charitable organizations,” Mauricio Hernandez of Goodwill New York told DNAinfo last March. “People usually believe that they are supplying some sort of charitable organization, while they are often giving money to an entrepreneur.”
In July, city inspectors tagged 670 metal units that were illegally placed. Often, the metal boxes reappear down the same block they were just kicked out of, making the process maddening for the city, which has little power to speedily confiscate the boxes. The new measure would change the process and allow the city to seize the bins faster. A hearing for the new measure has been scheduled for September 8th.
Tagged
charity
City Council
clothing
eyesores
fraud
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
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