DCH 51 Textile Recycling for Aid and International
Development (TRAID)
15th June 2004
Francene Graham
Committee Assistant to
the Joint Committee on the Draft Charities Bill
Scrutiny Unit
Room G10
7 Millbank
London SW1P 3JA
Dear Ms. Graham:
Textile Recycling for
Aid and International Development (TRAID) is a charity committed
to combating world poverty by recycling at home. Funds raised
through the collection and sale of second-hand clothing help to
protect the environment in the UK and funds sustainable development
in some of the poorest regions of the world.
Each year TRAID collects over 2,000
tonnes of clothing and shoes, which it sells to the public through
its chain of eight charity shops, which are located in London
and Brighton. Although TRAID collects its clothing primarily
through a network of textile recycling banks, it sees door-to-door
collections as the way forward in the future. TRAID completed
a door-to-door collection pilot in March 2004 and is about to
undergo further collections on a greater scale. It is for this
reason that TRAID is unhappy with the specific notification requirements
set out in section 66C(2) of the Draft Charities Bill.
The requirement to notify
the precise day or dates and locations of each collection to local
authorities at least 14 days and no more than 6 months in advance
will prevent TRAID from collecting from the most amount of households
possible. Valuable time and money will be wasted complying with
these conditions and not collecting clothing and shoes. Furthermore,
the new penalty fine for not notifying local authorities according
to the above conditions will be detrimental to TRAID's mission
of funding overseas development projects.
I join the Association
of Charity Shops in urging you to amend paragraph 66C(2) of the
draft Bill so that the notification required for the collection
of goods house-to-house by charities to local authorities be made
only on a periodic basis (i.e. annually) and in more general terms
as regards timing/frequency and location.
Sincerely,
Kelly O'Connor
Recycling Development
Manager
TRAID
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