The Warwick City Council made it clear last week that there is a need to regulate donation bins after numerous complaints have been fielded regarding them. The complaints range from them being a neighborhood eyesore, to being a “garbage receptacle,” as Councilman Tim Howe called it at the last meeting.

At least one local non-profit not only agrees with the new ordinance, and in fact have been internally policing their drop boxes all along. 

“A lot of what is in the proposal are things that we already do as an organization,” said Taylor Millspaugh, Business Development Manager for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island. She explained that some of the different things that they do already include - only having bins with a contract in place with the owners of properties, servicing the bins on a regular basis, and responding within one business day to any complaints about overflowing bins or dumping. 

CFO Jack Blatchford along with Millspaugh, explained that since they are a nonprofit organization with a mission of mentoring, they want a strong reputation and not have any issues with their bins. Blatchford also explained by making sure their bins are presentable and don’t cause issues, they will be able to expand the number of bins they have. In Warwick, they added three bins in 2020 for a total of seven.

They support the ordinance because it will make it easier for businesses and property owners to allow donation bins because there will be a lot less risk of them becoming eyesores and hazardous. 

The ordinance that gained first passage will regulate for profit and nonprofit bins, creating universal rules for everyone to follow. 

The legislation will establish requirements that if not followed could result in daily fines ranging from $25 to $100. Councilman Jeremy Rix, who authored the legislation, explained funds received from the permit program including application fees and any of the fees that may be issued for penalties will be used for any of the costs of the program. This was designed in order to keep the permit program self-sustaining. 

Owners would be required to obtain permits from the city and display permit stickers on bins, obtain permission from property owners to place donation bins on property and display contact information and address of the owner on the bin

Other regulations include requiring the regular emptying of the bins, paying an initial application fee of $50, $25 a year for renewal fee and $10 a year for the permit fee. Owners of the bins must also be in compliance with any notices from the city or will be fined.

Rix said that the goal of the ordinance is to solve problems that occur and not to cause any extra work for the organizations doing the right thing. 

“Charitable donation bins are an important way for people to ensure that suitable clothes are reused, not dumped in the landfill.  These bins can also be an important fundraising tool for charities,” Rix said. “The goals of the ordinance are to solve the problems that exist when bins aren't being operated properly without placing an undue burden on those who do operate bins properly, and, running that program in a way that the city's permitting and enforcement is self-funded, neither gaining nor losing money.”  

Last year Big Brothers Big Sisters was able to collect clothes and textiles at four different locations in Warwick which resulting in $4,000. How this works is the Big Brothers Big Sisters collect the clothing and textiles from the bins delivering them to Savers to be sold. From there, Big Brothers Big Sisters gives the nonprofit 30 percent of the net profits from the clothes sold at the collection bins.

Blatchford expects they will surpass what was raised in 2019. 

Since they collect donated clothes, instead of these being thrown away, Big Brothers Big Sisters is helping to reduce what normally ends up in landfills. For example, last year the organization collected 95,615 pounds of clothes and textiles in Warwick that might have ended up in the landfill. 

“If we didn’t collect the clothes it would end up in the landfill,” Millspaugh said. “Not only are you helping the community by donating, you're also helping the environment.”

Millspaugh also pointed out that one big difference between their dropoff bins and others is that they are completely local. “We are a local non-profit that collects local, our employees are local, we partner with local non-profits, the money stays local and makes an impact here in Rhode Island.”

Rix said he has not received any complaints regarding the Big Brothers Big Sisters bins in Warwick. 

“Councilman [Ed] Ladouceur, myself, and perhaps some of our colleagues will be making a contribution to Big Brothers Big Sisters of RI to cover their initial application costs, as, to our knowledge, they are the only RI-based nonprofit with collection bins in Warwick,”

The final passage of the ordinance is expected to be voted on during the Dec.21 council meeting. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters bins can be found at Kent County YMCA, Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Meadow Brook Lanes, Bishop Hendricken High School, Thrive Behavioral Health, the Warwick Boys and Girls Clubs in Oakland Beach and St Paul’s Church.