How cities are trying to rein in donation bin chaos [Video]

In the final part of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward and producer Joseph Loiero look at how some cities are trying to rein in the chaos.

One Ontario city staff member faced threats and even had her tires slashed while leading a crackdown on unlicensed clothing bins that may be connected to organized criminals, a former deputy mayor told W5.

But the City of Markham didn’t back down, and physically removed many of what it called “rogue” clothing donation bins that were popping up unasked for on city property and shopping plazas, said former Markham deputy mayor Jack Heath.

“You shouldn’t let people who are making threats, criminal threats, to stop the kinds of initiatives that make for a better city,” Heath said in an interview.

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It’s a call to action that Heath is hoping other …