Newspaper, donation boxes would need licences from city under new bylaw

guelphmercury.com
April 26, 2015

The city is getting tough on donation bins and dispensing boxes.

A staff report is asking council to approve licencing fees, rules and fines for public donation boxes and boxes used to distribute flyers and other publications.

The bins in question are those usually used by both for-profit and non-profit organizations to collect items for future re-sale. If the bins don't follow the proposed new rules, they risk being removed by the city. The same goes for dispensing boxes.

Initial licences would be $250 per bin and $167 for each publication dispensing box. Annual renewal of the licences would be $150 and $115.

If approved, the new rules would take effect on July 1, with enforcement starting a month later. The recommended fine for non compliance with the new rules is $500.

The proposed new rules call for:

Owners of the bins and dispensing boxes to purchase licences for each box.

Get consent from property owners or the city before the bins and dispensing boxes are placed.

Donation bins must be clearly identified as to ownership and whether or not the organization is for-profit or not-for-profit.

Donation bins and boxes are insured and maintained.

Donation bins must be made of metal.

Permission for the city to remove the bins and boxes if they are not being adequately maintained.

The bins and boxes don't affect organizations that accept donations in person or within a building.

The boxes and bins don't affect pedestrian access.

The staff report, prepared by the city's operations department, will first go to the public services committee at its May 4 meeting before heading to council for final approval.

The report says that there have been numerous complaints from citizens about the mess occasionally created by the bins and donation boxes, the rough shape of some of them and the fact they are occasionally placed on public property without prior consent.

"Residents and property owners have and continue to express concerns to staff with respect to nuisances associated with the donation bins," the report says. "Concerns include bins being placed on private or public lands without property owner's consent and that these bins are attracting illegal dumping."

The report says there has been consultation with both the public and stakeholders.

During talks with some of the organizations that own the bins, some expressed concerns about boxes being vandalized or stolen and misrepresentation as to where the donations and proceeds were going.

Guelph is following in the footsteps of other municipalities that have already implemented licencing by-laws.

If a donation bin is removed by the city, all contents will be donated to charity and the box itself destroyed after 30 days or donated to charity.

Revenue brought in by the fines, estimated at $2,000 a year, would go towards the cost of enforcing the by-law.