LANSING, Mich. — As we move closer and closer to the holiday season, many are in the giving spirit and donating more.
However, some donation bins in Lansing are filling up fast, but not with clothes, instead with trash.
Pounds of trash surrounded two donation bins off South Cedar Street in Lansing Monday morning, disgusting people and even the driver whose job it is to pick it up.
"Holy crap, that's a lot of mess"
That's exactly what Bob Cook, a driver for Midwest Recycling,thought when he rolled up to see that the two donation bins were surrounded by opened bags and trash.
"We don't like that."
Now instead of just unloading the two bins as planned, Cook had to pick up and bag the items on the ground to put in his truck, by himself.
"We don't like to leave anything like this because if we don't clean it, it's just going to accumulate," said Cook.
The driver even ran out of bags while cleaning up all the mess of clothes, shoes, empty cans, and more trash.....forcing him to use a shovel to pick up the rest.
"It's a little time consuming and will take a minimum of two hours to clean."
And with each piece of clothing Cook picks up from the dirty and snowy ground, is one less item that cant be donating to those in need.
Something that hits home for Cook.
"With my past being homeless, it's a lot of waste, there's a lot of things in there, some with price tags that now have to be tossed," said Cook.
Cook says the mess is a mixture of donate-able items that were in bags, but have since been opened and rummaged through, and trash that people just toss there.
this is why cook and the city ask the public not to leave bags of donated items outside of the bins when they are full.
But instead to wait to donate or drop them off at other local agencies.
"If it's sitting here, then we can't get to it on time, then this is the outcome," said Cook.
The City of Lansing is aware of the mess around the donation bins.
They are monitoring the location and are in contact with both the property owner and midway recycling.
As of Monday afternoon, the mess around the bins was completely picked up.
Midway Recycling says their drivers pick up donations at their bins weekly.
The City of Lansing is aware of the mess around the donation bins.
They are monitoring the location and are in contact with both the property owner and Midway Recycling.
The city can place fines on property owners if trash is not picked up around bins.
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