The Lafayette City-Parish Council will vote Tuesday on an introductory ordinance that would prohibit for-profit companies from using donation bins to collect second-hand clothing and other donations.
[Update: Councilman Sam Dore pulled this introductory ordinance from Tuesday's agenda; the council did not vote on it.]
The Lafayette City-Parish Council will vote Tuesday on an introductory ordinance that would prohibit for-profit companies from using donation bins to collect second-hand clothing and other donations.
The ordinance, sponsored by Sam Dore, amends LCG's Code of Ordinances to both prohibit the donation bins and to exempt non-profit organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army from the ordinance. According to the proposed law, "charitable organizations have experienced serious problems with such privately owned donation collection bins, the monetary proceeds from which are not being used to help the poor and needy residents of our community, and in fact are being used for private commercial gain."
Dore told The Advocate last week that he was approached by the aforementioned charities to sponsor the ordinance, although none of the companies they're concerned about - businesses that sell donated clothing to overseas markets or shred the clothing to manufacture rags - has moved into the Lafayette area.