Agenda - Council - 09/13/2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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onation to Third World countries such. as Bulgaria 'and Nicaragua Where:-: w -can afford to buy clothes arid the Market for 'secondhand - clothing is huge, USAgain has 9;000 such Boxes in 16 states and collects millions of pounds cif clothing for resale and recycling every veat. And why'should someone do- nate to the boxes so a company' can resell it to make money?' "To keep clothing out of land- . fills," said Margaret Sullivan, a USAgain spokesperson. "And in the end most clothing doesn't go toa good Cause; it ends up in ash. We're helping out environment and recognizing a business opportunity." She said LSAgain, based in Elgin, Lli., has never presented it- self as a charity. What about the sign stating they cooperate with''schools and local businesses? "We have a program where schools can request to have a bin on their property and -we give them a percentage of the cloth- ing sold," Sullivan said. Such an agreement does not, exist with a local school at this time. According , to some news re- ports, some towns have sent US - Again packing "This wasn't about goodwill for the community,"° sans Frank, Bergman, mayor of Cahokia, Ill: "`This was about making money.' At least one Frederic woman agrees with that sentiment. "I believe these bins are hurt- ing our local economy," she said in a letter to' the Leader. "I be- lieve we need to get them out of here." The woman said people should donate their old clothing o a,local thrift store instead. "While so inanybusinesses are struggling let's: not just give away -what little we have to a giant like this," she wrote. US.Again spokesperson Mar- garet Sullivan agreed that people wanting to give clothing to help the local community should not put their donations in the US - Again boxes. "If you're doing that, give it to your church," she said.