Proof of clothing bin safety required in proposed City of Vancouver regulations for collectors

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      The chief licence inspector of the City of Vancouver has recommended regulations for clothing donation bins.

      In a report to council, Kathryn Holm wrote that these proposals are meant to “address safety concerns and achieve waste management goals”.

      A ban on donation bins is not recommended.

      Many charitable organizations depend on clothing donations and the revenue these generate to support their operations.

      Also, donation bins prevent unwanted clothing from ending up at the landfill and incinerator.

      “However, public safety concerns have recently emerged due to the deaths of five people who were trapped in clothing donation bins in the Lower Mainland since 2015,” Holm wrote in the report included in council’s agenda Tuesday (May 28).

      The proposed regulations will require clothing donation bin operators to “provide a written submission from a professional engineer registered in good standing with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia”.

      The submission will have to confirm that the clothing donation bin is “designed to prohibit unauthorized entry, will allow a person to exit without physical harm, and will not otherwise create harm to an individual”.

      “In the absence of an existing industry safety standard, a professional engineer is required to confirm the clothing donation bin is safe, thereby addressing the public safety concerns,” Holm wrote.

      Bins will be allowed on private property and land owned by the city, but “may not be placed on street right-of-way, including sidewalks and boulevards”.

      Operators will have to get a municipal licence with an annual fee of $151. “There will be no additional fee per bin,” Holm explained.

      They  will also be required to provide a list of the locations of their donation bins.

      Bins should “display licence holder’s contact information, pick up schedule and signage indicating that clothes, shoes and linens in any condition may be donated, provided they are clean and dry, and may only identify a name and/or logo of charitable partners named on the application”.

      “The operator must maintain the clothing donation bins on a regular basis to avoid accumulation of refuse or illegal dumping around the bins,” Holm wrote.

      In addition, operators on city-owned lands must have general liability insurance for $2,000,000 “with the City of Vancouver listed as co-insured”.

       

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