Professor Schaff raises the alarm about a law that, if he reads it right, would virtually wipe out the market in second hand clothes. From the LA Times:
The law sounds as dumb to be as it does to Professor Schaff. But used clothing that cannot be sold in American thrift stores won't go to the landfill, as the Director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops says. It will go overseas.
That's where most of the clothing donated in the U.S. goes, and it ends up supplying a thriving market in some of the worlds's poorest countries. If health legislation forces all used clothing out of the country, rather than most of it, this will benefit the poor in the rest of the world, and hurt the relatively poor in the United States. That is the kind of legislation the U.S. Congress is good at.
Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could
force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away
trunkloads of children's clothing.
The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.
"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.
The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.
The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.
"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.
The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.
The law sounds as dumb to be as it does to Professor Schaff. But used clothing that cannot be sold in American thrift stores won't go to the landfill, as the Director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops says. It will go overseas.
That's where most of the clothing donated in the U.S. goes, and it ends up supplying a thriving market in some of the worlds's poorest countries. If health legislation forces all used clothing out of the country, rather than most of it, this will benefit the poor in the rest of the world, and hurt the relatively poor in the United States. That is the kind of legislation the U.S. Congress is good at.
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