Certainly you’ve seen the bins around town that allow you to drop off your old clothes and go. Perhaps you’ve even donated through those bins before. Presumably, the clothes make their way to a charity in need. But do you really know where those clothes end up?
Most likely this isn’t even a question you have thought to ask, because, they’re donation bins, of course the clothes go to a charity
Sadly, the answer isn’t quite that simple, it turns out that many donation boxes, like the one pictured here, are actually run by for-profit companies.
The Inside Edition I-Squad recently investigated clothing drop bins in Long Island, NY, only to find that unfortunately, while many of the bins may look an awful lot like those belonging to legitimate charities such as the Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul, the operators of these bins are actually using them to line their pockets with most of the money.
Of course, since the bins in question are not labeled as for profit, donators are often unable to tell where the clothes are headed, and just assume everything ends up at the charity. Worse yet, the for profit bins have begun to make it harder for real charities, who lose bin space to those who are able to pay a premium for the space available.
Personally I was shocked by this, and upset to realize that I have in fact dumped clothes in one of these bins. With that in mind, the next time you choose to donate, I would encourage you to consider skipping the clothing bins, and take the few extra minutes to drive to your local charity, shelter or Goodwill Industries donation location. Knowing that your donations will make it to people who need it the most will make all the difference.
Swap.com Mobile is a free iPhone is app that lets you scan items into your HAVE and WANT lists, manage your account, see what you can get for your stuff, and participate in swaps.
