Gentile Bill To Crack Down On Illegal Clothing Donation Bins Wins Support Of Mayor, Council Colleagues

Legislation introduced by Councilman Vincent Gentile that would give the boot to illegal clothing donation bins on city property now has the backing of the mayor and several of the pol’s Council colleagues, setting it up for swift passage.

“Vinnie convened a meeting with a bunch of citywide officials and borough presidents’ offices and made his case on why this is important, and we were able to get some action on it and it’s definitely moving in the right direction,” said Gentile spokesperson Justin Brannan.

The bill has picked up 20 sponsors and the backing of Mayor Bill de Blasio since it was introduced on July 24, according to the Council’s website.

The bill will authorize the Deparment of Sanitation to immediately remove clothing donation bins illegally placed on public property. It also gives the agency the power to issue a $250 fine to first-time violators and $500 fines for repeat offenders.

The bins are not only a public nuisance and an eyesore, many are scams. While there are legitimate bins placed with the permission of property owners, several for-profit companies have been posing as non-profits. They take the clothing they’ve collected and sell it to thrift shops and overseas markets.

“Not only are these bins eyesores, they deceive well-intentioned New Yorkers who believe they’re donating their used clothing to charity,” said Gentile in a press release.

The bill is not yet scheduled for a vote or hearing, but Brannan said he expects it to move quickly.

“We’re happy they’re paying attention to it now and now it will be a priority, so that’s exciting,” said Brannan. “This will be fairly fast-tracked and we’re very happy about that.”