Planet Aid, the group behind those ubiquitous yellow collection bins, is suing Baltimore County over a new regulation that dictates where bins can be placed. The charity, with its U.S. headquarters in Howard County, says that county officials started enforcing the new rules before they were officially on the books, Courthouse News Service reports.
But people who want to donate clothes to a good cause might want to think twice about heading for those yellow bins, regardless of county code.
NBC4 News, in Washington, D.C., and Reveal investigated Planet Aid and discovered it was founded by a cult-like leader in Denmark who is now a fugitive wanted for tax evasion and charities fraud.
The news report said FBI investigators found that “little to no money goes to the charities” with “funds ultimately controlled by” a controversial group “who divert the money for personal use.” Planet Aid denies these allegations.
The group Charity Watch has also said Planet Aid is not reporting its programming efforts properly:
“Planet Aid reports spending 84% of its expenses on programs in 2015. CharityWatch’s analysis of Planet Aid’s 2015 tax form and audited financial statements shows the charity spending only 17% of its expenses on programs,” Charity Watch said.
Food for thought.