A WARNING has been sounded that clothing put in some recycling bins may be sold mainly to boost a company’s profits rather than to help charity.
Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Warrington South Jo Crotty is advising people to put donated clothing in bins provided by registered charity Oxfam or Warrington Borough Council to ensure charity profits are maximised.
She is alerting residents to the “controversial dealings” of an organisation that collects unwanted clothes.
Her focus is the recycling bin owned by Gaia-Movement Trust Living Earth Green World on the car park of the Crown and Cushion pub on Warrington Road, Penketh.
Dr Crotty said a recent BBC Radio 4 Face the Facts program investigated the company behind this group, Tvind, also known as Planet Aid UK, Humana UK, and Humana People to People.
She said Tvind owners admitted that the clothes are sold for profit in Africa. The money is supposed to be invested in development programmes – but the 2007 accounts showed only 12 per cent of income was given away.
During the same period Oxfam gave away 79 per cent of the money it raised. Dr Crotty said it was difficult to get more information as the company is not a registered charity, so does not have to publish its accounts.
She said: “It is important that local people know where their donations go and what they are being used for. Charities have strict rules, and they report their accounts publicly. This company is not a charity and there is too much about its operations that the public does not know about.”
Dr Crotty is asking if people know of other of the company’s bins in Warrington that they let her know by emailing [email protected]
She plans to work to get the company’s bins removed.
Picture shows Jo Crotty with the donation bin in Penketh.
