Trenton creating bylaw to deal with unsightly donation bins

The Town of Trenton is taking steps to deal with ongoing issues surrounding clothing donation bins in the town.

At the town’s committee of the whole meeting Monday, Trenton CAO Brian White presented a draft bylaw which will regulate the use of the donation bins in the town.

He hopes it will provide a solution that allows the bins to continue to operate, but at the same time taking steps to prevent the unsightly issues.

The town has had repeated complaints about garbage being dumped around the bins or people placing clothing outside the bins when they are full.

“Ultimately the bins, at least some of them, have been attracting a lot of unwanted waste,” White said. “It’s totally unsightly.”

At the same time, the town does recognize they have a value, he said.

“It’s a bit of a catch-22. The bins do provide a valuable service.”

Rather than clothing going to the landfill, the bins allow them to be recycled while at the same time generating revenue for charities that own them.

“It’s an important service,” White said. “We’re just finding it’s a major detraction from the town when they’re not being appropriately managed.”

Under the proposed bylaw, which still has to go through a first and second reading before final approval, those who wish to operate a bin would have to get a licence from the town.

“That gives us a better ability to contact the owner/operators if there is an issue,” White explained. “It places some responsibility on the owner/operator.”

If garbage is gathering around the bins, the owner/operator will be notified on the first offence and given 24 hours to clean up the situation. If they don’t, or there is a second offence, the bins will be removed and held in storage until a fine is paid.

In discussing the draft bylaw, council members decided they would like to wave the fee for registered non-profits. Any others who wish to operate would be charged a licence fee of $10 a bin.

White said he believes that if it passes this will be the first bylaw of its kind in Nova Scotia, but said he has seen other similar bylaws in other parts of the country. Those bylaws range from an outright ban of donation bins to a licensing system similar to what Trenton is doing.

While the bylaw focuses primarily on the owner/operator, White said it is important for people to realize they can be charged for illegal dumping if they place anything outside the donation bin, even if it is appropriate donations.