Giving Children Hope and American Textile Recycling Services Strongly Oppose S.B. 450

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Goodwill Industries held a closed-door press conference to unveil a new study on its economic development efforts in California, including its multi-million dollar tax base and the many jobs created at Donation Centers throughout the State.

While commendable at face value, the study and the sudden Sacramento press conference coincide with the presentation of S.B. 450, an inadequate bill fronted by Goodwill that is anti-competitive and seeks to limit how clothing collection bins can be placed in California.  The bill follows A.B. 1978 which was also sponsored by Goodwill Industries and vetoed by Governor Brown in favor of creating more fair measures at a future date.  Unfortunately, this has not been accomplished with the newest iteration.

Erroneously citing on its website that 'donations placed in these boxes deprive legitimate charities of donations they need to operate local services that benefit the community and create jobs,' Goodwill plans to effectively 'stop the spread of clothing donation bins in the State of California' and across the nation. Goodwill pledged after funding AB 1978 to 'continue working closely with property owners and cities to rid the territory of unwanted boxes.'

"Our textile recycling partnership with ATRS helps fund our We've Got Your Back program which delivers backpacks full of food to over 5,000 children each week in Southern California," explains Sean Lawrence, Executive Director of Giving Children Hope.

"This partnership allows us to focus our energies on our core mission while ATRS focuses its expertise on the business of clothing donations," he adds. "GCH doesn't have the personnel or resources to operate such a program on our own. ATRS provides the funding, local staff and logistics expertise including a nearby warehouse, trucks and high quality donation bins to make this program a success."

As a leading member of the S.M.A.R.T. Association, American Textile Recycling Service (ATRS) adheres to the industry's strong Code Of Conduct, which sets standards for clothing collection bin operators nationwide.  

"Californians have a right to easy, convenient textile recycling options in their neighborhoods that keep unwanted textiles out of municipal landfills and support local charities, program and services," explains Debra Stevenson-Peganyee, Chief Marketing Officer of ATRS and a California native of over 25 years.

"As co-writers of the SMART Sample Ordinance, we look forward to sharing these guidelines with city officials and state legislators to implement industry standards that promote fair business practice. We welcome the opportunity to share our socially responsible business platform and showcase the philanthropic work we support nationwide thru our textile recycling partnerships," concludes Stevenson-Peganyee.

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About ATRS: American Textile Recycling Services is the fastest growing textile recycler in the USA.  To date the company has diverted over 150M pounds of unwanted textiles from municipal landfills and generated over $4M in funding for worthy charities nationwide.  Its mission is to provide easy, convenient textile recycling solutions to communities so they can give their unwanted clothing and shoes a second life and do so much good in the process.  ATRS is committed to keeping neighborhoods clean, improving the quality of life for those in need and protecting the environment where we live, work and play.

About Giving Children Hope:  GCH is committed to serving children and those in the cycle of poverty through holistic relief and development nationally and globally. By empowering disenfranchised communities and providing them with the basic necessities of life to instill hope and dignity to their lives, we believe our families become healthier, communities are strengthened and the worth and purpose of humanity is restored.

Contact:
866.900.9308
[email protected]

PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12104580

SOURCE American Textile Recycling Services