Borough Moves to Regulate Charitable Clothing Bins

The borough has proposed an law that would place restrictions on charitable clothing bins within the municipality.

Borough Attorney Joseph Bell had said at a previous meeting that he felt the borough should have more regulations regarding the bins, which, according to Councilman Bruce Harris, "were appearing and ... weren't being maintained" in towns in New Jersey. Harris made the comment at a June 14 borough council meeting.

The ordinance stipulates any group that wants to put such a bin in the borough must provide documentation that makes clear it is a bona fide non-profit organization.

A group that wants to place such a bin in town must explicitly describe where the bin would be located, and must obtain a letter of consent from any property owner who agrees to have the bin placed on their property.

"We're concerned about the safety of the location," Bell said. "I believe this ordinance addresses the issue."

The bin must be free of rust and the area surrounding the bin must be kept clean and free of debris. The bins must also be emptied on a regular basis.

Anyone applying to place a bin in the borough must also make clear the way in which clothing placed inside would be used or distributed.

The proposed law was introduced at Monday's borough council meeting.

A state law went into effect last January that allowed municipalities to create such laws surrounding the bins, which have popped up in various municipalities across New Jersey, according to a Star-Ledger report. Borough council officials pointed out that some of the companies who own the bins weren't necessarily giving all the clothing inside away to charity.

According to the Star-Ledger article, many of the bins are owned by for-profit corporations that often ship off the clothing to foreign countries, where they are sold cheaply. The corporations, according to the report, sometimes pay charities a royalty to use their name.

Under the borough's proposed law, the borough would assess up to a $20,000 penalty on those who violate the ordinance.