Illegal Donation Bin Spotting: Baltic & 5th

While we wait for City Council to help eliminate clothing donation bins from being repeatedly, illegally placed on public sidewalks, our neighborhood continues to be a target for them, and for the mess they attract.

The bin pictured above has been in front of an empty lot on Baltic, just off 5th Avenue, for a while now, and has led to a pile of clothing and shoes next to it. It’s been tagged for removal by the Department of Sanitation — the date on the bin is July 30, and the company that owns the bin has 30 days to remove it, so it should be gone soon, either removed by them (and potentially just moved to another location) or by Sanitation. Whether they’re placed on the street by the company and then foolishly set on fire, or just hauled away by Sanitation, they’ve become quite a nuisance, and a potential hazard.

Not only is the bin placement illegal — Sanitation notes on their website that “under Local Law No. 31 of 2007, the placement of publicly accessible collection bins on New York City property or property maintained by New York City, or on any public sidewalk or roadway is illegal” — but the companies that leave them are often for-profit businesses creating the impression of charity.

Hopefully the new legislation in the works may do some good, but it seems like a tough operation to crack down on. Fines don’t seem to do much, and Sanitation is struggling to keep up with the growing number of bins showing up around the city. The best we can hope for at the moment is that people simply stop putting clothes into them, and the companies lose interest in our area.

So if you’ve got clothes to donate don’t put them in these bins. We have so many other, great options, just check out our guide to donating clothes locally.

And if you spot an illegally placed collection bin, report it to Sanitation.