New regulations require all donation bins in Tennessee to be properly labeled. Image courtesy of State of TN.

KNOXVILLE – Tennessee has new regulations for donation bins, and according to Secretary of State Tre Hargett, the public can get involved in making sure those regulations are followed by bin owners.

Specific labeling guidelines are now required for non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations and professional solicitors, which provide donors with multiple ways to contact the organization(s) that are collecting donations. All bins must be properly labeled with the name of the collector and their contact information.

“This offers disclosure so people who are giving items to a charity or a non-charity can do so with the full knowledge of who they’re actually giving to, and where their donations will end up,” Secretary Hargett said.

People can now snap a photo of any donation bin in Tennessee, and post it to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #BinCheck as a way to report a bin in question to the Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming. Posts should also include the bin’s approximate location, including city, county and business it may be near. The public can always call the division at (615) 741-2555 or go to sos.tn.gov/charitable/donation-bins for more information.

The law also requires that bin operators get notarized permission for placement from property owners or leaseholders.

“We found there were donation bins around this state that when you went to the property owner the owner had no idea how the bin got there,” Secretary Hargett added.

Each bin must be emptied every two weeks, and any items left outside must be removed within 24 hours. Failure to comply means the bin itself must be removed. Violators could face a civil penalty.