"For-profit" clothing/textile donation bins are popping-up
all over the Bay Area, and throughout the United States. These
"for-profit" bins add in part to zero waste, but compete
with (and take away from) local charities and their
local/regional clothing recycling efforts. Recently there
are at least 10 "for profit" U'SAgain
collection bins in Pacifica. Note:
the U'SAgain website includes "drop off" collection sites,
but there are no local or regional re-use or second hand
stores listed, none. How were these clothing/textile "donation bins" presented to business owners in Pacifica? Isn't is the case that clothing/textiles collected by U'SAgain are shipped out-of-country, and sold by the pound "for profit"? Is that how you understood the "sales pitch" business owner? Or was it "zero land fill waste" and a portion goes to charity, win, win? Meantime, our local and regional "non-profit" charities who serve local people are being sacrificed and decimated. One more thing, is it the case that U'SAgain and similar related businesses are financially headquartered off-shore and pay no taxes?
KIROTV Seattle investigative news article, 11/25/09 - "A KIRO Team 7 Investigation into a mysterious used clothing company catches the attention of the Attorney General -- while a local mayor takes action.Last week, our cameras first exposed how U'SAgain tells some businesses its red bins are "for charity" when, in reality, millions of dollars worth of donated clothes are sold for profit.Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne's hunt for the truth about U'SAgain exposes an international company in some trouble right here in Washington.Senior Counsel for the Attorney General's office, Shannon E. Smith, says U’SAgain is not properly licensed to collect donated clothes. She also says if U'SAgain is misrepresenting that they're a charity, they are also likely violating Washington's Consumer Protection Act.U'SAgain employees recently approached the City of Sedro Woolley with a great sales pitch: place their red clothing-donation bin on government property and help a charity. When Mayor Mike Anderson saw a KIRO Team 7 Investigation that showed U'SAgain was a for profit company, selling and shipping clothes to other countries, he ordered the U'SAgain bin removed. Anderson told us, simply, 'Yeah. I think it's misleading!'" Full article.
1/29/11, KIROTV Seattle investigative news update - "Truth behind donation bins", video, 5:48 minutes.
06/08/11, San Francisco Weekly "California
Campus" separate name but related 4 page article "Donated clothes may fund international
fugitive".
Additional references:
Tvind organization websites. When will government investigate? Tvind Alert, and Rick A. Ross Institute (cult consultant) Clothing cult.
Tvind organization websites. When will government investigate? Tvind Alert, and Rick A. Ross Institute (cult consultant) Clothing cult.
Article submitted by Jim Wagner
Posted by Kathy Meeh
20 comments:
Promoting textile recycling and attempting to achieve "zero land fill waste" is good, but U'SAgain and related "for profit" companies are cutting-away local "non profit" charity recycling of used clothing. These textiles (clothing and rags) are sold by the pound out-of-country and overseas. There, surviving clothing in good condition is sold in used clothing retail stores.
This kind of thing has been going on for years. In the late 90's, out in the middle of nowhere in sub-Saharan Africa, I used to see t-shirts from places like the University of Wisconsin and Virginia Tech, and always wondered where they came from. It turns out they came from groups like this who collected clothes in the US, and repackaged them and resold them to individual African entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs would them resell the clothes to locals. Frontline or POV did a story on this maybe 7-8 years ago.
I always thought it was a good way to reuse old clothing, but the charity tie-in is obviously dishonest.
I saw a similar bin for books out in front of the Pacific Manor Safeway recently.
The bins are ugly, pure and simple. Are they permitted? Is permission asked of the business owner? Who maintains them?
1. Truthful disclosure on boxes is crucial. There is a CA state law (can't remember the number) that mandates notices on collection boxes whether the owner and operator is a non-profit or a for profit. Let the public decide where to put their unwanted clothes, just don't throw them into the garbage. Most of us don't throw away bottles and cans any more so why textiles when they are perfectly recyclable too!
2. Every charity that collects clothes does it to sell them to raise money for their charitable work. Only a tiny portion, if any gets actually donated to people. A small portion of what is collected gets sold locally (USA) because there is so much available that thrift shops rotate their inventories weekly and once an item is off the shelf, it gets sold to wholesale exporters or rag-merchants.
3. In 1999 residents in CA disposed of (landfilled) 330 000 tons of textiles, in 2008 it was 506 000 tons (source: Calrecycle). These are data from waste stream analysis (digging through loads going to landfills). Goodwill SF's annual revenue increased by about a $ million every one of the last 10 years! Local charities being decimated by lack of clothing donations is just nonsense! Cash donations are down, that's a fact and a lot of good programs were hurt by this, but that has nothing to do with your clothes being sold to... whoever they are being sold to.
4. The article says "there are no local or regional re-use or second hand stores listed, none." Like that is a bad thing! Imagine the uproar GW and SA and all the little independent thrift stores would be in if UsAgain started to open a bunch of stores locally! Then I would agree that they are hurting the local non-profits...
Anon PR apologist for U'SAgain "for profit" recycle vendor...
1. Of course U'SAgain business model cuts directly into our local and regional non-profit charitable organizations, such as PARCA, Goodwill and Salvation Army. And until our public is "educated" these bins (which may kick-back a small donation to charities) look like those we have traditionally understood as direct charities.
2. "Non profit" organizations, such as PARCA, Goodwill and Salvation Army function locally and serve the public here. Clothing is redistributed and sold in our regional thrift shops. Whereas, "for profit" U'SAgain ships clothing and rags, sold by the pound, out-of-country and overseas. Once there, salvageable clothing is re-sold in second-hand retail stores.
3. "Save the earth" recycling rags away from landfill? Sure, if the charities and recycling companies (such as Recology) have a business arrangement and/or no alternative outlet, why not? Possibly that should be the core business for U'SAgain.
4. There is a history of confusion about U'SAgain and its affiliates available for further reading and research on the internet. Goodwill seems to have been fighting U'SAgain and related organizations emerging through-out the USA for years. And, as a "for profit" company does U'SAgain even pay taxes, or is the company accounting headquartered off-shore?
While we're at it. Anyone know the source company of flyers that state they will pick-up for free TVs and PCs to be recycled? Got another one of these tossed in my residence mail drop today. No vendor name on the flyer.
Kathy, do you ever stop bitching and moaning? Try and be constructive for a few minutes sometime.
Yeah come on Kathy and just give the scammers a break.
I spent about 10 hours doing research on U'SAgain and their affiliate history after Jim sent over the article and some follow-up. Based on that, my retort to the "scammer" 4 support points is bitching lite.
The (231) question I ask. Got a clue who they are, and why wouldn't you respond if you got one of these flyers, or do you just follow their instructions? Good luck!
Recology has a U'SAgain bin in our recycling yard so people can have a one stop dropoff. Any monies we make from this are donated to the Pacifica Resource Center. Many charity places no longer accept clothing. These people also accept old shoes which as far as I know is a first.
"Many charity places no longer accept clothing."
Chris (232) that's what U'SAgain keeps saying but in Pacifica PARCA picks-up curbside, and to my knowledge Goodwill and Salvation Army still collect clothing because there is a need. And, U'SAgain can have my worn-out bedding, towels, clothing and other rags at this time for sure.
Your Recology business arrangement with U'SAgain is what it is, and I'm glad the Resource Center gets some financial benefit. The Resource Center is probably one of the organizations that does not collect clothing. But, Jim's U'SAgain article (above), and through our further research, uncovered what appears to be, through connection and history, a tip of a controversial textile empire.
It looks like Fix Pacifica is the last local blog to allow anonymous postings, so expect the signal/troll ratio to decrease substantially.
Interestingly, just before he disabled anonymous comments, Camden outed Mary Keitelman as Jay Summer who I'm guessing is also Summer Rhodes/Kathy Jana.
Resource Center does not take clothing. Salvation Army, Goodwill and Parca definitely do. Those are some pretty solid organizations which I'd trust to do what's best for them with
donated used clothing.
Even goodwill and the salvation army sell these clothes overseas and line their pockets with bigger salaries. What's your point?
So either bring your clothes to a used clothes buying store, or put a free ad on Craigslist.
Whatever the Salvation Army and Goodwill do with my donations is fine by me. I gave it to them to use in any way they see fit because I support their mission and trust their operation.
Ads for free goods on Craigslist are dangerous. You can bring dangerous people into your life and home. Consignment stores are good option for clothes in demand like baby and kid's stuff or good quality womens' wear, bags, shoes, and the like. These stores are stuffed with mdse due to the long recession. Well-run non-profs like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, PARCA--will put your donations to good use either in their shops, client closets or in recycling. Lots of good options to help people and clear out the clutter at home.
Ads for free goods on Craigslist are dangerous. You can bring dangerous people into your life and home.
No driving around Pacific Manor Shopping Center is dangerous!
Only if you're picking up total strangers and bringing them home does it even compare to free goods ads on Craigslist.
1259anon, Depends who you pick up.
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