Fed up with the “mini dumping grounds,” London wants to crack down on unwanted clothing drop-off bins popping up in private parking lots across the city.

City hall staff are targeting bins that turn up uninvited and without a reputable organization’s name.

Often, the bins belong to businesses that resell overseas the clothing and used items collected, said Orest Katolyk, London’s bylaw enforcement boss.

The recommendation to regulate donation bins — which can basically be plopped down anywhere now, without rules or restrictions — with strict conditions is among draft changes to the city’s licensing bylaw that have gone before a city council committee and are headed to future public hearings.

One variety store owner, who said two green bins in her store parking lot have become a magnet for used items and trash, said she welcomes the proposal.

“People come and dump garbage here. Toys, clothing, electronics, garbage — I don’t want this, take it out of here,” said Ann Cho, who owns Crumlin Variety with her husband at Dundas Street and Crumlin Side Road.

Gesturing at two bins marked “used clothing donations,” and a black one for electronic recycling, she said sometimes they’re surrounded by bags of clothing and other used items, causing a mess.

Cho said the first green bin showed up on her property about three years ago.

A second one was later added, followed by the black box for electronics.

She said she’s repeatedly asked people who empty the bins to remove them, but her pleas go unanswered.

“He said, ‘No, it’s not my job,’” said Cho. Her first language is Korean, and Cho said she didn’t pursue the issue, because she believed her English wasn’t strong enough.

Messages left by The Free Press at phone numbers on the containers weren’t returned.

The problem donation bins aren’t those operated by the Canadian Diabetes Association or the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, which use such bins for charity but seek property owner approval first. Across the street from Crumlin Variety, two charity bins stand outside the Eggs & Fruit restaurant operated by Hamid Sadat.

“I have no problem with it,” he said. “They asked me if they could leave them here and it’s for a good cause, so I said yes,” he said.

Katolyk said the city is “totally supportive” of bins set up by registered charities, which also tend to maintain them effectively. But the bins dropped off without permission, are a different story.

“They’ve become mini-dumping grounds,” said Katolyk, who said the situation has gotten worse since yard sale season started, with people often bringing unsold items to the bins.

“I’ve personally seen bin divers with (their legs) sticking out of the bins, and ripping bags out and throwing them,” he said.

The competing bins also hamper charities and non-profits, he said, recalling news reports from 2012 in which charities said they were losing donations to the boxes and that for-profit companies sold nearly $138 million worth of collected used clothing overseas.

Some municipalities regulate bins by charging licensing fees; others, with donation bin bylaws.

“I believe the intent of the bylaw is to make sure there’s someone accountable for the bin,” said Ward 10 Coun. Virginia Ridley, who chairs council’s community and protective services committee.

“Often, some of these business are in plazas — the properties don’t always have someone on site, and then you’ve got 12 tenants staring at this thing every day and they assume the property owners know about it,” she said. “I believe this will help . . . narrowing down who it belongs to.”

The renewed effort to license donation boxes picks up on a similar initiative raised by city staff in 2012, but ultimately dropped by council.

Under London’s proposed regulations, bin operators would need permission from property owners and be required to follow standards for cleanliness. Bins would be metal only.

The city plans to hold a public meeting on the proposed changes.

jlobrien@postmedia.com