Plan Commission To Consider Regulating Donation Boxes

It's not a problem yet, but the city of St. Charles doesn't want it to become one.

Clothing donation boxes found around the city may fall under some new regulation as the Plan Commission considers recommendations to provide guidelines for their placement.

"These boxes have been popping up all through town and the zoning ordinance is currently silent on them, there's no regulations at all," Planner Matthew O'Rourke said. 

Staff members made a visual survey and found that most donation boxes were located on commercial properties.  There were a few seen in residential and downtown areas as well. The boxes vary in size and many were located in off-street parking spaces. 

"We've noticed them placed in odd locations that could damage landscaping and things like that, so we're mostly trying to make sure that doesn't happen," O'Rourke said.  "There's been issues with some refuse stacked up next to them, so we're just trying to correct those things."

Textile recycler USAgain, located in West Chicago, has eight collection bins in the city and supports the proposed guidelines.

“At USAgain, we want to raise the bar on the industry so all operators are held accountable and must comply with strict local standards to ensure a community’s quality of life,” Carlo Cavallaro, the company's director of government affairs, said in a news release.

The staff report the commission will review can be viewed here. Some of the recommendations include: 

• boxes can only be located on commercial propertiesboxes not allowed in empty shopping centers
• written permission of property owner must be obtained before placing boxes
• not more than three boxes in a shopping center
• no boxes allowed in an off-street parking space
• boxes are limited to a height of 7 feet
• the box operator's name and contact information must be posted on the box
• pickup times must be posted on the box.

The full staff report can be viewed here.