themoralcollapseofamerica.blogspot.com — A new law that requires that all children's clothing be tested for lead and phthalates prior to being sold will go into effect February 10th. That means that the sale of used kids clothes on Ebay, Craigslist, thrift stores and even yard sales will be SHUT DOWN.
Jan 7, 2009 View in Crawl 4
doiveoJan 7, 2009
perfect timing.
mslaurelJan 8, 2009
You GO, Cattletracks!Actually, were I looking for lead and pthalates, I'd look first at the new clothes made in China. Stay away from plastics (pthalates) and metals/metallics that you don't recognize (lead), and you should be able to navigate the thrift-shops safely. Those flame-retardant chemicals aren't too heathy, but I wouldn't expect them to be strong in used clothing that has been repeatedly washed.
upstatenydemoJan 8, 2009
I am so angered by this. Our economy is in the toilet, kids grow extremely fast and putting clothing into our landfills is HORRIBLE! When laws like these are enacted I feel so completely unrepresented and frustrated. I love second hand stores as they are good for the environment, good for my finances and fun - no snotty salespeople :)I don't even know how to respond to this or to fight it. Any suggestions?
peheimbachJan 8, 2009
In our area, raw milk is big, as is "raw" apple cider, which recently became subject to the same pasteurization rules. (I can't speak for milk, since I can't STAND the stuff, but nothing ruins cider like pasteurization.)Sadly, it is illegal to SELL such fluids. But, if you'd like to take a very short farm tour, or even a tour of the "sales facility", and then leave what you think would be an appropriate donation in a basket by the door, you're free to talk home a 'sample' of the fluid to (perhaps) compare with the taste of whatever pasteurized crap you've got in your own fridge.Y'know, it takes a lot to run a charity like a consignment shop. They're doing quite a favor for the community, sorting all that stuff before sending it to the landfill. Just be sure, after February 10th, to mail your monthly charity gift (or your "testing fee" if you're dropping stuff off for "disposal") to Goodwill, or Jack'n'Jill's Consignment Shop or whoever. And hey! Anytime you want to stop in to see the stuff we're distributing to the needy of your community before it hits the landfill, please do so -- and be sure to pick up the appropriate number of thank-you gifts on your way out.==================And as a final thought -- how is it that we can take the tops off whole mountains (WITHOUT REGULATION), despite the damage that does? How is it we can allow a billion gallons of arsenic laden fly-ash sludge to be stored in an open pond, WITHOUT REGULATION? How is it that we can allow TRILLIONS of dollars of valuation in the stock market and in the housing market to VANISH, WITHOUT REGULATION, but one kid dies because (s)he couldn't (wouldn't) stop eating his shoes (there's a natural act) and we've got to regulate the CRAP out of an industry?
niconiconicoJan 8, 2009
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shupyJan 9, 2009
A lot of this stuff happens at the state level. And that is where people need to address it.It is also where a local citizen's group can be most effective. It is not that hard to go after this kind of thing, but it takes getting involved.Find out who was involved in the legislation and get busy writing letters. Also, organizations like the Salvation army and Purple Heart Veterans that rely on reselling used items to raise money for the work they do. They could also get involved in going after something like this.
bobrileySep 27, 2009
I'm selling clothes like I always have- on eBay and at local consignment sales. If the gov. wants to come for me, they can.