Gwinnett County may soon adopt new regulations for the used clothing collection bins that dot local shopping centers and sometimes become eyesores.
On Tuesday commissioners tabled action on proposed regulations in order to give the county more time to negotiate the details of the regulations with companies that would be affected.
The collection bins have become a nuisance for some business owners, who say they pop up without notice and attract piles of trash they must pay to haul away themselves. While some of the bins benefit charities, many are operated by companies that collect and resell or recycle the items for profit.
In response to complaints, in 2014 commissioners adopted regulations that prohibit for-profit companies from placing collection bins in unincorporated Gwinnett. That prompted a federal lawsuit by two recycling companies that say the county is infringing on their constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection.
The county staff has since proposed a new ordinance that would allow for-profit and nonprofit companies alike to place collection bins. But it would more tightly regulate where they can be placed. Among other things, it also would require the firms to obtain a property owner's permission before placing a collection box and imposes penalties for failing to maintain them.
On Tuesday an attorney for the companies that filed the lawsuit asked commissioners to postpone action to allow more time to negotiate the details of the new ordinance. She said some of the proposed regulations may still infringe on her clients’ free speech rights.
“We aren’t opposed to regulations,” the attorney, Julie Sellers, told commissioners. “We just want the regulations to pass constitutional muster and allow us to operate our business.”
Commissioners tabled the issue until Aug. 16.
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