Good Intention or Public Nuisance? Cities Brace for Resurgence of Clothing Donation Bins

When they first started popping up around town, the colorful metal collection bins for donated shoes and clothing didn't cause much of a stir in Stanton.

And then they multiplied.

"Within a year, they were all over the city, specifically on Beach Boulevard," said City Manager James Box, whose Orange County municipality is among many in Southern California that have seen a proliferation of the receptacles in recent years.

With the bins have come blight and other problems, local officials say, not to mention a rash of complaints about overflowing drop boxes that often attract jettisoned mattresses, broken furniture and piles of garbage.