GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The label says “Clothes and shoes,” but many of the donation bins in the area are overflowing with furniture, electronics, and even a pool table.
“It’s not fun to see this,” said neighbor Joy Mandich.
Mandich lives across the street from some bins in Ashwaubenon.
She recently saw a moving truck pull up in a rainstorm to drop off items.
“So anything that was usable for a donation, for reselling and maybe even recycling- now is water damaged and may not be usable or recyclable at this point. I think they serve a good purpose but I think they’re not managed properly.”
Mandich tells FOX 11 that last weekend, items had already been piled outside of the bins attracting stray animals for nearly a month. By the following Friday, they’d been cleared.
Green Bay’s Zoning inspector, Scott Nelson, tells FOX 11 he’s receiving complaints.
“From neighborhoods, neighborhood associations, from the police department. We’re concerned with making things a little more comfortable with the new businesses downtown so that’s the last thing they want to see”.
Bruce Yang owns the Main Oriental Market Downtown. He’s leased the bins to the same company for four years but said they’ve recently become a problem.
“It doesn’t look good for me, all the junk laying all over.”
He’s tried to contact the company, but tells FOX 11 he hasn’t had any luck. FOX 11 also called the number on the bins multiple times, but we just got a busy signal.
“I told them in the beginning- I lease to you, but you are responsible to take care.”
The City of Green Bay has issued a nuisance abatement order on the bins on Yang’s property. They now have 30 days to take them or the city will remove them and they will lose them.
“If the business who’s owning the bin doesn’t remove it they know the city is going to take it,” said Nelson.
Manitowoc had an issue with donation bins earlier this month. They now charge a $5,000 permit fee to the business or donation bin owner.
Nelson said the city is considering a similar ordinance.
