The City of New Westminster is confident the eight clothing and donation bins in the city are safe.
In response to deaths connected to clothing donation bins, city staff contacted the operators of the bins to confirm they had either retrofitted or replaced bins to address safety concerns. A staff report states there were four deaths associated with clothing and donation bins in Metro Vancouver between 2015 and 2018.
“Staff has received confirmation that all of the … bins have been retrofitted or replaced to address identified safety concerns,” said a recent report to council.
According to the report, the eight bins in New Westminster are located on private property. The report stated the city has the authority to remove clothing and donation bins from city property, including boulevards and parks, and has removed three to date.
“Given that the bins directly or indirectly support a number of charitable organizations, including local ones, and given that there has been no proliferation of bins or problems associated with them, staff is not recommending any additional regulations at this time,” said the report. “Staff will continue to monitor the situation, particularly related to safety.”
Following the death of a man who died after becoming trapped in a bin in West Vancouver, council asked staff to report back on the situation regarding clothing and donation bins in New West and steps the city could take to improve safety. In April, council directed staff to write to the operators of clothing and donation bins in New Westminster and get confirmation that they’d retrofitted or replaced their bins to address safety-related concerns.
