HOUSTON – Clothing donation boxes are a common sight across Houston, often placed in convenient locations for residents looking to donate items. However, some business owners are questioning how these boxes end up on their property without their consent.
One of the latest incidents involves a donation bin at a fast food restaurant in Houston. A manager at an El Pollo Loco restaurant noticed a box appeared on their property without permission, and paperwork associated with the bin seemed to indicate their signature had been used for authorization. However, the manager insists she never signed the paperwork.
“I never signed anything for the boxes. It looks like my signature, but I didn’t sign it,” the manager said by video phone call when shown the application, which contained her name and a signature. “I even called multiple times to remove it, but nothing was done,” Blanca Galindo said.
In response, KPRC 2 Investigates reached out to ATRS, the company that owns the donation bins, for clarification. The representative acknowledged the situation, promising to look into the matter, but noted they had not encountered a similar issue before.
“We’ll figure out what’s going on,” said a spokesperson from ATRS. “But this isn’t a common problem.”
Further investigation revealed another similar case at a nearby Burger King. The restaurant’s manager confirmed that a donation bin had been placed on their property without their permission. “I didn’t authorize it, and I called them to have it removed,” the manager explained. “They never got back to me.”
Houston residents who notice unauthorized donation bins on their property are encouraged to contact 311 for assistance. Additionally, KPRC 2 Investigates is looking into how widespread this issue might be and is asking those affected to come forward.
“We want to understand just how big this problem really is,” reporter Joel Eisenbaum, said.
CC your similar complaints to him at jeisenbaum@kprc.com
