ROSSFORD – City Council Monday banned the bins.
After a couple months of discussion, council voted unanimously to prohibit the placement of clothing
collection bins in the city.
Councilman Jerry Staczek has been campaigning to have the bins eliminated, saying they are unsightly,
attracting overflow, including many items not intended for the bins.
Though Goodwill, which has such bins elsewhere, has an office in the city, it has no bins. Instead the
bins that attracted Staczek’s ire were those owned by Planet Aid, a private group, which Staczek said is
less a charity than a profit making endeavor.
His internet research, which he has shared with council and the media, found that rather than
distributing the clothes collected to the needy, the company bails it and ships it overseas where the
clothing is shredded and used for insulation.
The ordinance, on the advice of Law Director Kevin Heban, does not distinguish between bins by charities
or businesses.
Staczek said that he’s spoken to the business proprietors at locations where the bins are placed, and
they’ve said they were not asked or notified that they would be installed.
It was unclear whether those businesses owned the property.
The ordinance makes the property owners jointly liable. Councilman Robert Ruse questioned whether that
would penalize local businesses.
Mayor Neil MacKinnon promised that the city wouldn’t go after local business owners.
The city will now notify the owners of the bin, using the telephone numbers listed on the containers. If
they are not removed, the city could take them.
City Administrator Ed Ciecka said they could initially be moved to city property awaiting pick up.
If unclaimed, Heban said, they could be sold to scrappers. If they were sold for scrap council would have
to pass a resolution similar to selling surplus city property, Heban said.