Home Antioch Antioch: USAgain Supports Local Efforts to Maintain Collection Bins

Antioch: USAgain Supports Local Efforts to Maintain Collection Bins

by ECT

USAgain

Hayward, California-based USAgain (pronounced use-again), a textile recycling company, is calling on northern California collection bin operators to abide by a code of conduct following recent news coverage of an overflowing bins in Antioch.

The bins, unaffiliated with USAgain, were ostensibly placed to serve as a receptacle for used items including clothing. Unfortunately, the bins have not been emptied in a timely manner, resulting in overflow that has been exposed to the elements.

View the news coverage reported by East County Today:
https://eastcountytoday.net/antioch-to-begin-working-on-removing-illegal-donation-boxes/

USAgain, a for-profit company that has always emphasized corporate responsibility for its bins located throughout the United States, strongly supports a Drop Box Code of Conduct for bin operators. The Code of Conduct was created by the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) in an effort to ensure collection bin operators act responsibly.

As a member of SMART, drop box operators agree to:

  • Ensure bins clearly identify the name and telephone number of the company responsible for maintaining them.
  • Clearly mark donation bins with the names and telephone numbers of the sponsoring organization and names and contact information of charities receiving benefit.
  • Prohibit the use of deceptive or ambiguous labels/logos on bins that imply donations will go to support a particular cause if there is no underlying affiliation with a charitable organization and clearly disclose the for profit nature of your business on your bins.
  • Obtain written consent from a property owner and/or representative prior to placing a drop box.
  • Service drop boxes as often as necessary to avoid accumulation of donated items or debris around them.
  • Provide the property owner and/or representative with a working phone number and commit toresponding to any complaints regarding box maintenance within 24 hours of receiving notification during regular business hours.
  • Comply with any applicable zoning and or permitting requirements, including state, local and municipal requirements.

“These steps are simple to accomplish for all legitimate collection bin operators,” said USAgain CEO Mattias Wallander. “Any company that is unable to comply with these simple regulations should not be in this business. By letting bins overflow, items often get ruined and become debris for the surrounding area, which creates a nuisance for the entire community. Rather than putting these items to reuse, they are littering the streets.”

USAgain, which received an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, is concerned with the increase in collection bins, as many bins are not routinely maintained and some companies have come under scrutiny for falsely claiming charitable giving. Employing sensible guidelines will help eliminate many of these problems.

“By abiding by the Code of Conduct, communities are able to hold bin operators responsible and accountable, which will help protect local standards and a community’s quality of life,” Wallander added.

USAgain strives to maintain its bins to the highest standards, employing full-time staff and a computerized GPS tracking system to ensure regular collection. Additionally, each bin displays a 24/7 customer phone line and website to report issues at USAgain boxes.

About USAgain

USAgain – a leader in the textile recycling industry with corporate headquarters in West Chicago, IL. – is a for-profit company that recycles and reuses clothing, shoes and other textiles. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing, which is diverted from landfills. USAgain maintains more than 14,000 collection bins in 18 states and has nearly 200 employees. For more information, visit www.usagain.com.

The following was a press release by USAgain

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6 comments

Lori Cook Sep 30, 2014 - 7:42 am

It’s nice that this company has issued a press release and is calling for companies in Northern California to abide by a code of conduct only after stories of these bins has been made public. This company is a for-profit organization and the items do not help people here in Antioch, only make work for city crews and volunteer organizations that clean up the areas where the boxes were. Our group, Cleaning Up Antioch, One Home At A Time and More, have cleaned up many areas where the homeless have lived and found good clothing all over, now ruined and good for no one. These boxes make it easy for people to donate unwanted item’s, but they also serve as an area for people to dump garbage and items that should go to the transfer station in Pittsburg. They have also turned into a source of clothing for the homeless, with them climbing into the boxes and pulling bags and bags of stuff out, sorting what they want, and leaving the rest on the ground. If this was the only way to donate items, I would support these business’ 100%, but we have many non-profit and for-profit organizations here in Antioch that could use these items.

Marty Fernandez Sep 30, 2014 - 8:07 am

I absolutely do not support these boxes in any way, shape, or form, I take my items to Salvation Army, there is always Good Will here also.USA is for-profit because they resell the items in 3rd World Countries. The city is correct to get rid of ALL of these boxes regardless who owns them.

Jeff Mock Oct 1, 2014 - 3:07 pm

What’s wrong with a for profit company?

Mike Hunt Sep 30, 2014 - 1:36 pm

Not based in California.
http://www.usagain.com/contact-us

info@usagain Oct 1, 2014 - 2:31 pm

Hi Mike – thanks for your comment. We actually have two division offices in CA – Hayward and Lake Forest.
Marty – We are proud of our mission to reduce the negative impacts of clothes and shoes on our environment by increasing their reuse and recycling. According to EPA, 85% (12 million tons) of textiles are sent to landfills every year. The current joint effort by non-profits and for-profits is collecting only 15% of textiles to put back in the use cycle. Most of what is collected by all these organizations is reused as secondhand clothing in domestic and international markets.
We promote the awareness on textile reuse/recycling and provide more opportunities for convenient recycling so that we can divert items before they hit trash cans. We are a for-profit business like many others in the area of recycling.

Brenda Grisham Oct 1, 2014 - 10:26 am

US Again has done a wonderful job of supporting efforts in Oakland working to help with redirecting efforts to help curb the violence with emphasis on recycling and keeping these product out of the landfills and donating to organizations such as the Christopher LaVell Jones Foundation and Their Lives Matter. Also assisting us with college scholarships and summer camp activities I take my hat off to their efforts in the community and am behind them 100 percent

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