Clothing Donation Bins and Textile Recycling Examined

Town of Bethlehem, Albany County, NY
Dan Rain, Recycling Coordinator

Identifying the Problems
Some Communities:
Insufficient textile reuse and
recycling options (or at least
insufficient awareness of the
existing options)
Many Communities:
Disorganized options
Lack of transparency (and
perceived reputability) of
collection organizations
Nationwide:
Poor diversion rate of textiles
from waste stream

Textile Recycling - The Fiber Side

Town of Bethlehem’s Situation
 Had conducted some clothing drives historically, but
proved difficult to continue due to logistical problems
 Donation bins replaced drives at Town locations, but
bins also appeared over time in many private locations
 Disorganization and lack of information about
existing donation and recycling options
 News reports fueled resident concerns
about providers of donation bins

Three-Step Project
• Inventory and
map existing
bin and shed
locations
1. Evaluate
• Interview and
attempt to
research
providers
2. Research
• Recommend
any changes
for Town
programs;
Educate
residents and
businesses
3. Revise

Town of Bethlehem –Textile Donation Bin Locations
Park and Ride, Elm Ave and Rt 32/Bypass, Delmar
3 Orange Bins, South Side of Park and Ride to the left of the Green Fiber recycling bins
Community United Methodist Church - 1507 New Scotland Rd, Slingerlands
1 Blue Bin, on left as driving into church parking lot, near trash/recycling dumpsters
Bethlehem Children’s School – 12 Fisher Blvd, Slingerlands
1 Blue Bin, on left of parking area as you enter
Driftwood Arts: 750 Delaware Ave, Delmar
1 Green Bin; Business is near Bethlehem Central High School, to the West
First United Methodist Church, 428 Kenwood Ave, Delmar
1 Custom Shed in back of parking lot towards Nathanial Blvd
Getty Gas Station (now closed) - 308 Delaware Ave, Delmar
1 Blue Bin
Bethlehem Central Middle School – 332 Kenwood Ave, Delmar
1 Blue Bin , East end of parking lot near water tower
Delmar Beverage Center – 242 Delaware Ave, Delmar
1 Blue Bin, seasonally moved in back behind the cleaners next door, or by Delaware Ave
St .Stephens Episcopal Church – 16 Elsmere Ave, Delmar
1 Blue Bin in parking lot behind Elsmere Fire Dept.
Del Lanes - 4 Bethlehem Court, Delmar
1 Green Bin on the far side of Del Lanes if coming from Delaware Ave, near Bethlehem Ct
Delmar Full Gospel Church – 282 Elsmere Ave, Delmar
1 Blue Bin in parking lot
Solid Rock Church – 1 Kenwood Ave (Kenwood and Rte 32/Bypass), Glenmont
1 Custom Shed at far side of parking lot. No posted hours.
Petrol Station Parking Lot – 294 Rte 9W, Glenmont
1 Orange Bin and 1 Green Bin (station is across from Lowes/Applebee’s)

Textile Donation Bin Locations continued…
Glenmont Gas Mart - 414 Rte 9W, Glenmont
3 Green Bins in parking lot (station is on other side of Glenmont Rd from Price Chopper
Plaza)
Matchless Stove and Chimney – 697 Rte 9W, Glenmont
1 Blue Bin in parking lot
Subway – 1250 Rte 9W/Maple Ave, Selkirk
1 Orange Bin in parking lot
Quantum Engineering Company – 48 Thatcher St (off Maple Ave), Selkirk
1 Green Bin in parking area
Town of Bethlehem Rupert Road Transfer Station – 136 Rupert Rd, Selkirk
2 White Salvation Army Bins at West end of lot by Rupert Rd.
18 locations total – 23 bins/sheds

Town of Bethlehem
Textile Bin Map
Population in 2010:
33,656
Area: 52 Square Miles

The Salvation Army
 The Salvation Army’s mission “is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ
and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
 Donations to S.A. predominantly stay in the local area instead of going
overseas like with many of the other charities.
 In a very real sense, The Salvation Army Family Stores are at the heart
of the Adult Rehabilitation Center philosophy. These simple
community stores serve several distinct purposes:
1. Our Family Stores provide quality clothing, furniture and other
goods to the community at bargain prices.
2. The Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Centers are 100% funded
from the proceeds of our Family Stores, allowing them to be self-
sustaining.
3. A major part of the men's and women's involvement in their own
rehabilitation is Work Therapy.

The Salvation Army, Albany, NY

Blue Bins – American Clothing Co.
Bins emptied 2x week; every day for busy locations like
Albany. They use their own staff and trucks. Clothing is
sorted, washed if necessary and sent where needed—
throughout US or overseas. They work with different
distributors.
They serve primarily the Capital Region, as far as Schroon
Lake, working with Greene, Warren, Saratoga,
Schenectady, Albany, Essex, Schoharie, Montgomery,
Renssalear Counties.
Proceeds is $0.05/lb to organizations such as churches or the
Town. When bins are full they weigh approximately 800 lbs
or $40. Bins fill every couple of weeks-a month+. –John
D’Ambrosio

Blue Bins – Northeast Parent
and Child Society
In the absence of a charity such as a local church, the
blue bins placed in business parking lots in the Capital
Region, such as gas stations, typically say they “benefit
the Northeast Parent and Child Society.”
Clothing is sold overseas and the proceeds are split
50/50 between American Clothing Co. and the Society,
which runs a group home in Schenectady.
According to Eugene White from the financial
department at the Society, they are getting over
$2,000/month from blue bins at this point.

Green Bins – IICD
Institute for International Cooperation & Development
Clothing is sold, and proceeds fun volunteer program.
Their drivers empty the bins and ship them out. They
only sort out unacceptable items (large strollers and
car seats for example).
Acceptable items include clothing and textiles but also
books, toys etc. as long as they fit in the bin. As long as
the textiles and items aren’t wet or contaminated they
get shipped “and he believes they get used.”
They are looking to partner with other municipalities
and businesses in NY. -Wulstan

IICD Bin Locations by County
ALBANY County COLUMBIA
County
FULTON
County
GREEN
County
MONTGOMERY County RENNSESLAER County
Albany
Altamont Berne
Bethlehem
Cohoes
Colonies Delmar
Glenmont
Guiderland
Voorheesville
Waterford
Waterviliet
Latham
Menands
Ravena
Rensselaer
Hudson
Chatham
Canaan
Castleton-on
Germantown
Ghent
Hudson
Kinderhook
New Lebanon
Stockport
Valantie
Amsterdam
Broadalbin
Gloversville
Johnstown
Athens
Cairo
Coxsackie
Canajoharie
Fort Plain
Fultonville
Hagaman
Palatine Bridge
Averill Park
Berlin
East Greenbush
Hossick Falls
Petersburg
Poestenkill
Schaghticoke
Stephentown
Troy
Valley Falls
West Sand Lake
Wynantskill

IICD Bin Locations continued…
SARATOGA
County
SCHOHARIE
County
SCHENECTADY County WARREN
County
WASHINGTON County
Ballston Spa,
Burnt Hills
Glenville
Galway
Glensfalls
Mechanicville
Saratoga Springs
Schuylerville
Stillwater
Cobleskill
Esperance
Richmondville
Duanseburg
Greenville
Nassau
Rotterdam
Schenectady
Scotia
Lake George
Queensbury
Fort Edward
Hudson Falls

The Teachers Group/Humana/Tvind
Charities or Scam?
 Registered as charities or 501(c)3s
 Humana – all over Europe
 UFF – Scandinavia
 Planet Aid – USA
 Gaia – USA and Europe
 DAPP – UK
 For-profits
 Green World Recycling – UK
 Planet Aid – UK
 USAgain – USA
 Other names known
 CCTG
 IICD
 College Aid
 CICD

IICD and Teachers Group Allegations
Your Rags to Their Riches:
Donated Clothes May Fund
International Fugitive
By Matt Smith SF Weekly, Wednesday, Jun 8 2011
“…There's nothing, it would seem, to stand in Campus California's way.
Well, actually, there is one thing: credible evidence that this
organization is part of a global web of front groups led by a
fugitive wanted for money laundering and fraud.
He's Mogens Amdi Petersen, a charismatic outlaw who in Europe enjoys
the notoriety of a modern Jesse James.
Does Sako's feel-good business-pages tale hide a far more complicated
one about a secretive European organization that thrives by selling San
Franciscans' castoff garments into a supply chain with customers in
Africa and Latin America? Campus California may be linked to firms
such as AC Properties Ltd., Faelleseje, and Humana. Revenue from used
clothes flows through nonprofits, wholesale brokers, real-estate holding
firms, lenders, and developing-world charitable projects.
But nobody seems to know where the money truly ends up. A 2001
dossier prepared by Danish financial crimes prosecutors quotes him as
saying the idea was to ‘lay down a twisted access path with only
ourselves as compass holders…’”

IICD and Teachers Group Allegations Continued
 One of the organizations profiled in How to Live Your
Dream of Volunteering Overseas is the Institute for
International Cooperation and Development (IICD),
also affiliated with California Campus TG (CCTG).
Both organizations are part of a Danish network
known as "Tvind."
Co-author Zahara Heckscher volunteered with IICD
in 1987-1988, and has conducted research on the
organization since then, including site visits to IICD
volunteer programs in Zimbabwe and Zambia in
1998.
As detailed in the book, it is our conclusion that IICD
is a front group for a cultlike organization,
coordinated by Tvind. Since publication, the leader
of Tvind, Amdi Petersen, has been arrested at Los
Angeles. He is currently awaiting extradition to
Denmark on charges of tax fraud and embezzlement.

Planet Aid & Teachers Group Allegations Cont…

St. Pauly Textile Inc
 My dad founded St. Pauly Textile Inc 16 years ago. Today my two brothers and I run it
together with him. We are up to 539 clothing drop off sheds all over upstate NY and now
into PA and MA. We have only had one organization ever ask us to remove a shed -- due
to a new pastor coming into a church.
 We are the largest clothing collector and Distributor of clothing in Upstate NY, collecting
over 70,000 pounds of clothing every day! Besides having clothing sheds with local
community organizations we also pick up extra clothing from local clothing closets. One
of the big reasons why we have the clothing sheds with only community groups so that
they can take clothing out of the shed and give to people locally if there is a need at any
time.
 We usually place 8'x16' wooden sheds built by Mennonites at each location. A picture of
the shed is attached. There is no cost involved with whoever we work with. We pick up
from each and every shed every week. Every year we go through all of our sheds and do
any fixes required to make sure our sheds stay in great shape. We send a check out to
each organization who sponsors a shed at the beginning of every month based upon how
much clothing comes into the shed. This usually ranges on average between $100 - $200 a
month once up to speed, but we have some that earn much more. -Ben DeGeorge

Recycling Centers with St. Pauley Sheds
 Town of Alfred
 Town of Allegheny
 Town of Canaseraga
 Town of Belfast
 Town of Bemont
 Town of Bolivar
 Town of Dolgeville
 Town of Elma
 Town of Fulton
 Town of Halfmoon
 Town of Hannibal
 Town of Hastings
 Town of Houghton
 Town of Hurley
 Town of Ithaca
 Town of Machias
 Town of Lockport
 Town of Olean
 Town of Oswego
 Town of Pulaski
 Town of Rodman Recycle Station
 Town of Salamanca
 Town of Skaneatles
 Town of Wellsville

 St. Pauly currently has 539 Clothing Drop Off Sheds all over Western and Central NY. We have only had one
organization in our 16 years ever ask to remove one.


St. Pauley Clothing Sheds Locations

Textile Recycling in Other Municipalities
Allegany County:
We have seven transfer stations throughout the
County, and St. Pauly Textile set up a shed at
each station. They do pickups about once/week
and proceeds are $80/ton. County has about
50,000 residents, and we collected just over 40
tons in 2011, so $3,200.00 for the year or about
$62/week. We have used them for several years
without any problems.
About a dozen local churches also have the
same deal with St. Pauly.
Tim Palmiter, Allegany County

Delaware County
We work with the Solid Rock Church (thru
their affiliation with Casings from Catskill
NY). They provide metal outdoor drop bins for
clothing and accessories. We provide the site
and oversight. They collect the material and
keep the containers in nice condition. There is
no financial exchange, ie. we make no revenue
and have no expenses.
Susan McIntyre, Delaware County DPW

Fulton County:
We have Green (IICD), Blue (NE Parent
and Child Society) and Orange (Rock
Solid) Bins currently. Salvation Army
locations as well.
The estimated weight of the clothing
that is collected annually is used in
calculating diversion rates for the
county.
-Dianne Woske, Fulton County

New York City:
We have a new program called re-fashioNYC
that is going really well and is cost free to the
City. Re-fashioNYC is a partnership between the
City of New York and Housing Works to make
clothing donation as easy as possible through
convenient in-building drop-off service.
The partnership is unique because it provides
any participating apartment building of 10 units
or more with convenient donation services at no
cost to the building or taxpayers.
Samantha MacBride, NYC Department of
Sanitation

Onondaga County
There are dozens of drop off
locations for textiles in
Onondaga County; Rescue
missions and Salvation Army
thrift stores (plus a new
Goodwill Store, and of course
the ubiquitous Planet Aid yellow
boxes).
In 2005, we found that in spite of
all these convenient drop off
points, almost 6% of the total
waste stream was comprised of
textiles and leather.
Andrew Radin, OCRRA

Rochester area:
St. Pauly Textile has a wide collection network. They work with local non-profit
organizations and set up a collection site in the organization's parking lot.
Usually they construct a large wooden shed and place a yellow, highly visible
sandwich board sign by the road.
The Salvation Army has ceased having unsupervised collection boxes, but they
do have a truck on weekends at the Wal-Mart parking lot in Canandaigua,
Ontario County.
Goodwill has several large stores around the area; one in Canandaigua and one in
Macedon, Wayne County. They accept donations, including electronics, at
those stores. Also, the regional Rotary has a Shoe Mobile in which they collect
shoes of all kinds. And Monroe County participates in Nike Reuse-A-Shoe.
Marjorie Torelli, Western Finger Lakes Solid Waste Management Authority

Thompkins County:
We have a drop off location at our Solid Waste Center, and there are a couple
other private drop off locations as well. We have been using St. Pauly for
about 1 year+, and used Cyntex previously.
There are also a variety of second hand stores/thrift stores and consignment
shops, and Salvation Army locations.
We also have Sew Green in Ithaca teaching sewing classes—how to refashion
existing clothing for reuse, as well as a lot of informal clothing swaps in the
area.
Kat McCarthy, Thompkins County

Ulster County/New Paltz
Currently we are using Planet Aid but another company
(USAgain) has just offered to pay 4 cents a pound;
minimum $50 month. As a municipality we coordinate
with SUNY New Paltz for a large dorm collection at the
end of the school year. Materials are sorted by volunteers
and put out for anyone to take. Last year over 4 tons was
diverted from the waste stream (clothing, bedding,
electronics, non-perishable food, etc.).
The school has been discussing opening a clothing
pantry on campus for any students in need; currently the
only other option throughout the year are the Planet Aid
drop boxes.
Laura Petit, Ulster County

SMART’s “Donation Box Code of Conduct”
SMART member donation drop box operators agree to:
1. Ensure donation receptacles identify the name and telephone number of the company
responsible for maintaining the bin(s);
2. Clearly mark donation bins with the names and telephone numbers of the sponsoring
organization and charities receiving benefit;
3. Refrain from using 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;
4. Obtain written consent from a property owner and/or representative prior to placing
and/or moving
donation drop boxes on any private property;
5. Service drop boxes as often as necessary to avoid accumulation of donated items or debris
around said bins;
6. Provide the property owner and/or representative with a working phone number and
commit to
responding to any complaints regarding box maintenance within 24 hours of receiving
notification during regular business hours;
7. Comply with any applicable zoning and or permitting requirements, including state, local
and municipality requirements.

SMART’s “Donation Box Code of Conduct” Cont.
SMART encourages donation drop box operators to perform due diligence
to ensure the legitimacy and good standing of any potential 501(c)(3)
charity partner. To accomplish this, drop box operators may wish to ask
charitable partners to furnish:
o A letter of determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
indicating valid 501(c)(3) tax status;
o Documentation indicating satisfactory completion of an independent,
third‐party review verifying compliance with any applicable IRS
requirements;
o A copy of the charity's completed IRS Form 990 for the most recent tax
year;
o Any other form of acceptable documentation demonstrating that a
nonprofit meets recognized standards for charitable accountability.

Council for Textile Recycling (CTR)
“We are the only non profit 501 C3
organization in existence that is
trying to increase awareness about
keeping post consumer textile waste
out of our landfills while
simultaneously providing a platform
for suppliers of pctw (municipalities)
to find solution providers (private
sector and charities).”

Textile Recycling Issues
and Potential Solutions
Lack of existing options
and/or public awareness
of the options
Inventory and map
donation bins and
other existing options
Conduct education
campaign for residents
and businesses
Lack of transparency
and perceived
reputability of collection
organizations
Research organizations.
Adopt “donation box
code of conduct”
Revise zoning laws to
address donation bins
Take over the collection
process at the
municipal level.
Low textile diversion
rate in your community
Partner with vendor or
directly with textile
recycler. Set target
diversion rates for
municipality in first year;
subsequent years
Utilize one or more
other reuse or recycling
options (see chart
on next page)

Textile Reuse and Recycling Options
Municipality
Help residents
connect with reuse
options --Direct
donation to local
charities
Partner with
vendor that will
service collection
and brokering, and
pay a rebate
Clothing drives
and other special
collection events
Collect at
municipal level
and sell directly to
fiber, wiping and
used clothing
companies
Reuse as rags or
craft /sewing at
home. Cotton can
be cut up and
composted.
Consignment
shops; Informal
clothing swaps,
garage & rummage
sales, Craigslist

Textile Recycling Resources:
Education and Industry Organizations
Council for Textile Recycling (CTR)
www.weardonaterecycle.org
Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART)
www.smartasn.org
Municipal Textile Recycling Program Vendors
American Clothing, Glens Falls, NY
http://blueclothingbox.com
St. Pauly Textile Inc., Farmington, NY
http://st-pauly.com
Trans-Americas Trading Co., Clifton, NJ
http://www.tranclo.com
USAgain
www.usagain.com/
Wearable Collections (clothing drive events)
http://wearablecollections.com/
Others through NYS Recycling Markets Database:
http://appcenter.nylovesbiz.com/esdrecycling/
Resources for Investigating and Evaluating Programs
 News articles and media reports
 IRS Tax Records
 Charity Evaluation Organizations like Charity Navigator and Charity Watch
 Watchdog groups such as www.tvindalert.com and www.planetaid-alert.org

This slideshow was developed by Dan Rain.
Special thanks to Dianne Woske and Debbie Jackson.
For more info. on recycling
in the Town of Bethlehem:
Dan Rain, Recycling Coordinator
Town of Bethlehem
518-439-4955 ext. 1510
www.townofbethlehem.org
Q & A

Clothing Donation Bins and Textile Recycling Examined

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