City Crews Haul Away Dozens Of Clothing Donation Bins On Phila. Sidewalks And Streets

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- City crews are hauling away 70 clothing donation bins from around Philadelphia, because they're unsightly, illegal, and overflowing with trash.

Licenses & Inspections Commissioner David Perri says the poorly maintained bins attract plenty of short dumping along city streets and sidewalks, which he describes as "the city's front yard."

"We will not tolerate blight on our front steps."

Councilwoman Cindy Bass pressed the issue by getting a bill passed to aggressively enforce the new law.

"And to stop the laissez-faire attitude toward bin dropping that was coming to a street near you."

Neighbors complain that bins would appear on their blocks with no warning.

"Someone would come in the middle of the night and drop a bin right next door to their home."

Perri says the organization, Planet Aid was the worst offender.

"They probably have 40 percent of the bins that are on the collection list."

Immediately after the briefing, Perri had crews remove an unlawful bin right next to the Nicetown Court apartment building on Germantown Avenue.

"The ones that are metal will be sold to a scrap yard, and be broken down into scrap metal."

Charities like Goodwill Industries have moved to an attended donation center model. The Salvation Army only has a handful of bins, all of which are on its property, not on city sidewalks, streets, or what city officials call the public right of way.