Clothing bin

{{short description|Type of container used for donating clothing}}

Image:Smith Family clothing bin.jpg shopping centre in Canberra, Australia.]]

A clothing bin is a container in which clothing is placed to be donated to charity organizations (e.g., the Salvation Army or The Smith Family) or for recycling in other ways. They can be provided by local authorities or the charities themselves but sometimes only bear the name of a charity through a licensing or revenue sharing agreement.{{cite web|url=https://www.michigan.gov/ag/consumer-protection/consumer-alerts/consumer-alerts/charities/clothing-donation-bins|title=Clothing donation bins - donor beware|publisher=Michigan Attorney General|accessdate=2023-10-08}} The majority of clothing bins in Chicago, for instance, are for-profit.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/donation-bins-for-charity-or-for-profit/2167582/|title=Donation bins: For charity or for profit?|first1=Katie|last1=Kim|first2=Lisa|last2=Capitanini|publisher=NBC|date=2019-11-26|accessdate=2023-10-08}} In 2015, a collection company in Yonkers was fined $700,000 for not disclosing the for-profit nature of their bin.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/02/new-york-fake-clothing-donation-bins-thrift-land-usa-yonkers|title=New York company fined over fake clothing donation bin|first=Mahita|last=Gajanan|work=The Guardian|date=2015-11-02|accessdate=2023-10-08}}

Bins are often vandalised or filled with unsuitable materials (including rubbish). These are costly for the organizations concerned to dispose of, and this misuse has at times led to bins being withdrawn.{{cite web|url=http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/pdf/fact_sheets/clothing.pdf|title=Clothing, furniture and household goods|publisher=Zero Waste SA|accessdate=2023-10-08|archivedate=2005-12-19|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219225936/http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/pdf/fact_sheets/clothing.pdf}} On-the-spot fines are often threatened through signs on the bins. In 2022, authorities in Sydney, Australia reported that they had so far collected $70,750 in fines from a single bin in Bondi Beach.{{cite web|url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/sydney-mum-fined-clothes-vinnies-charity-bin-033742299.html|title=Sydney mum fined $250 for leaving clothes outside Vinnies charity bin|first=Tara|last=Meakins|publisher=Yahoo News|date=2022-07-29|accessdate=2022-10-08}} A woman in Stourport, United Kingdom was fined £400 for leaving bags outside a bin which did not have a warning sign but had her fine changed to a caution after she appealed.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grandmother-donations-fine-for-flytipping-b2007753.html|title=Kind-hearted grandmother who left donations at charity bin fined £400 for 'flytipping'|first=Bradley|last=Stokes|work=The Independent|date=2022-02-04|accessdate=2023-10-08}}

Homeless people have been known to climb into donation bins for shelter or to retrieve items but the most common bin design makes this dangerous.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/10/canada-charity-clothing-bins-deaths-safety-design|title=Canadian woman becomes eighth person to die in charity bin since 2015|first=Lauren|last=Aratani|work=The Guardian|date=2019-01-10|accessdate=2023-10-08}}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-dies-trapped-donation-bin-police/story?id=68720276|title=Man dies after getting trapped in donation bin: Police|first=Emily|last=Shapiro|publisher=ABC News|date=2020-02-03|accessdate=2023-10-08}}{{cite web|url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/perth/charity-bin-deaths-man-found-dead-inside-perth-clothing-donation-bin-c-5512015|title=Charity bin deaths: Man found dead inside Perth clothing donation bin|publisher=Perth Now|date=2022-01-31|accessdate=2023-10-08}} Eight such deaths were recorded in Canada between 2015 and 2019 and "easily a dozen" occurred in the United States over the preceding decade.{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/donation-bin-deaths-how-to-prevent-more-tragedies-1.4245123|title=Donation bin deaths: How to prevent more tragedies|first=Jackie|last=Dunham|publisher=CTV News|date=2019-01-08|accessdate=2023-10-08}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ktvu.com/news/homeless-woman-30-dies-while-searching-for-clothes-in-petaluma-donation-bin|title=Homeless woman, 30, dies while searching for clothes in Petaluma donation bin|first=Debora|last=Villalon|publisher=KTVU|date=2018-12-03|accessdate=2023-10-08}}