North Richland Hills warns residents to be aware of fake clothing donation bins
During the past several months, North Richland Hills officials noticed an uptick in fake donation clothing boxes cropping up in busy shopping areas.
The bins are placed in high-traffic commercial parking lots. Residents assume the boxes are there for a good cause, said Mary Peters, a city spokesperson.
“Really, we don’t know where they came from, who put them there, or what happens to items that are donated,” she said.
Peters said that right now, there aren’t any fake donation bins, but one was removed from a parking lot on Tuesday.
Most of the bins are made from painted plywood, and they are placed on businesses’ property without permission.
“The business owners don’t want the bins there because they can lead to trash and other dumping on their property,” Peters said.
Peters said people are encouraged to take donations to charities, rather than a “random box” on the corner.
Several nonprofit organizations in North Richland Hills have stores where residents can donate.
People can also contact charities and ask about their dropoff sites.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 4:53 PM.