Skip to content

Richmond city demands removal of 24 donation bins

Twenty-four donation bins will be removed from the city of Richmond following the death of a man who got stuck in a bin in West Vancouver followed by a similar death in Toronto this morning.
Clothing bins
These bins were on Odlin Crescent on Tuesday evening. The city is asking organizations to get rid of bins, but will allow the ones on the right in this picture because they have no moving parts.

Twenty-four donation bins will be removed from the city of Richmond following the death of a man who got stuck in a bin in West Vancouver followed by a similar death in Toronto this morning.

The city is in the process of contacting five organizations whose bins have the same type of opening as the Inclusion BC bin where the man got stuck.

The bins need to be removed within 24 hours or, if not logistically possible, they must be locked until they can be removed, according to city spokesperson Ted Townsend.

“We’re also advising the organizations that this donation slot configuration will not be allowed in the future, and any future permit applications will require a configuration that addresses this safety concern,” he said in an email to the News.

Inclusion BC has already pulled its four donation bins from the streets of Richmond.

At an emergency meeting held last Thursday, Inclusion BC and its member agencies decided to remove 146 bins that are located in Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast, the Interior and on Vancouver Island.

They will be stored until safety modifications are made to ensure public safety, according to a press release on Thursday.

“We will continue to work with our bin manufacturer, municipal authorities, design experts and community partners to formalize and promote the adoption of industry-wide safety standards to keep our communities safe,” stated the press release.

The non-profit had been working with UBC mechanical engineering students and its Canadian manufacturer to make the bins safer. Safety modifications, designed by students, are in the prototype phase.

Four people have died over the past few years in clothing donation bins in the Lower Mainland.