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Boxes of mystery: Donated shoes, clothing sold by recycling company

By Bethany Krajelis, The Southern

Thursday, December 6, 2007 9:21 PM CST

If you've been wondering about those red boxes that seem to be popping up all over the region, you're not alone.

Some of the business owners who host the boxes that are marked with white letters reading "clothes and shoes" said they don't know too much about the business behind the box either.

But there's no mystery to them, said Marlene Ceja, community relations director for US'Again.

The red boxes serve as collection bins for the for-profit textile recycling company based out of West Chicago. All clothing dropped in the boxes ends up being sold for various purposes with the mission of removing clothing that would clutter landfills, Ceja said.

Some ends up being insulation in speakers or is recycled into reusable shop rags. Another portion ends up being shipped to other parts of the world where Ceja said clothing is sold to low-income families who otherwise couldn't afford the items.

"We give back to the community," she said, explaining that the red boxes provide economic development and a fundraising program that she said gave schools, churches and not for profit organizations more than $60,000 last year.

Local businesses that host a collection box on their property do not receive any financial incentive from US'Again, Ceja said. It does, Ceja added, provide businesses with visibility and an opportunity for more customers.

These red boxes have been spotted in various locations in Carbondale including the Beauty Depot on Wall Street and El Bajio on Illinois 13. There's one at a gas station in De Soto, a parking lot in Pinckneyville and one box is currently sitting on the property of Whiffle Boys Pizza in Murphysboro.

Tim Reiman, owner of the pizza place, said a man approached him about two months ago and asked him if he would allow one of the clothing collection bins to sit on his property. He said he went along with it, but started to wonder about the company after a recent phone call.

"I had one caller say that they just wanted to let me know that it was from a for-profit," Reiman said. "Now I wonder if I'm going to make any money. If I don't, then I'd rather not have it on my lot."

He said he would be contacting US'Again soon. Ceja said if anyone has questions about the textile recycling company, they are welcomed to contact its 24-hour customer service hotline (800) 604-9533 or check out its Web site at www.usagain2.com.

"We stand behind our company," Ceja said after explaining US'Again kept more than 18 million pounds or about 100,000 cubic yards of textile out of landfills. "That's a huge number and we're very proud of it."

While Ceja said the company is upfront about its for-profit status by its "We are a commercial business" posting on the boxes, she said she could not release the company's profits.

Chung Kim, owner of Carbondale's Beauty Depot, said he was aware that the red box sitting in his parking lot was making the company money, but wanted to help the young students who asked him.

He said two college-age people told him they receive commissions for finding businesses to serve as box hosts and wanted to put their commission toward mission trips. "I wanted to help the kids for the mission trips," Kim said.

When told of Kim's story, Ceja said "I don't understand that." She asked for the business name and said she was going to look into it. She said the company did hire some students to find locations and they may be working for such trips.

They are not paid on commission, Ceja said, adding that hiring students and local residents is another way US'Again helps the local economy.

She said the company, which has operations in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta and New York, has about 1,400 boxes located throughout Illinois.

While they seem to have just started popping up in Southern Illinois, Ceja said the boxes are not a holiday themed effort. She said the collection boxes are up year round and the company is constantly expanding its locations.

bethany.krajelis@thesouthern.com

351-5816