Local code officials have asked the City of Dallas to create a registration system for donation drop boxes.
Dallas’ Department of Code Compliance (DCC) proposed during a city council briefing Wednesday the creation of an Unattended Drop Boxes Registration Program, an ordinance meant to eliminate “nuisance and blight” in the neighborhoods associated with unsightly drop boxes.
According to DCC, an unattended drop box (UDB) is “any unattended or unstaffed outdoor container, box, receptacle, or similar device or facility, designed with a door, slot, or other opening that is used for soliciting and collecting donations of textiles, clothing, shoes, books, toys, dishes, and other salvageable items of personal property to be used by the operator for distribution, resale, or recycling.”
Not only do UDBs contribute to unsightly neighborhood blight and illegal dumping, Chauncey Williams, assistant director of the DCC, told council members that operators regularly fail to service the UDBs in a timely manner and are often difficult to identify and contact.
Overall, Williams identified 399 UDBs in Dallas. Of those, 82 received confirmed violations for litter and unsightly debris. The districts with the highest share of UDBs include District 3, with 64, as well as Districts 8 and 13, with 45 each.
As part of the proposed ordinance, DCC made several recommendations to the Dallas City Council.
The recommendations include a variety of requirements, such as not allowing two drop boxes within 1,100 feet of each other, prohibiting boxes on lots designated for residential use, requiring scheduled weekly monitoring and pick-up services, and requiring a tamper-resistant locking mechanism to prevent improper use or access.
If the proposal is passed, DCC would have UDB operators register with the City within 60 days, with the application review and permit issuance occurring within 60 days thereafter. Proposed fees would include a $248 initial application fee, a $248 annual renewal fee, and a $101 replacement decal fee.
However, District 14 Council Member Paul Ridley explained that the ordinance could not be approved in its current state without first addressing the distinction between “attended boxes” and “unattended boxes.”
“If a box is attended from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., normal business hours, say five days a week, but it isn’t in the evenings or the weekends, is it going to be considered attended or an unattended box or both based upon different times of the day?” Ridley asked.
“[DCC is] definitely willing to add the definition of ‘attended’ to the ordinance – because right now, we only address ‘unattended,’” said Williams.
Still, District 1 Council Member Chad West reiterated the importance of properly defining “attended” to avoid any unnecessary confusion or problems.
“If we’re not tight on this definition, then a cashier who might be working on a Monday in any random strip mall store that has one of these boxes might be designated as the attendant. We don’t need that,” said West.
“It needs to be somebody who, if you’re dropping off your stuff, they see it, they take it from you, or they at least witness you putting it in the box, not just some random designated name of somebody on site,” West explained.
If the ordinance is approved, DCC said it would create an online application and permitting process for UDB operators; develop and deploy an online process to track applications, box locations, and complaints; and initiate a marketing campaign advising property owners and identifiable box operators/owners of the registration program.
The program is expected to roll out sometime after Spring 2024, pending approval.
