Children outgrow clothes and even toys so quickly that many parents either buy clothing used, donate their gently-used togs and toys to thrift stores, or sell them on consignment.  When the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act goes into effect on February 10, however, these used articles upon which so many families rely will suddenly be considered toxic and destined for the landfill.

Congress passed the law last year to protect children against lead and phthalates, harmful substances which have been found in everything from buttons to backpacks to ponchos, reports the LA Times. Any items which have not undergone expensive testing procedures (which may cost $50,000) will be considered contaminated and removed from the shelves.

Thrift stores will be essentially prohibited from accepting and selling donations of children’s clothing because they will certainly be unable to afford to test them. In addition, small businesses that make handmade kids’ clothes or toys, and the small stores that sell them, would also be unable to have their existing inventory vetted, meaning a substantial loss. Some businesses in the LA Times article are already planning to close.

It just seems ironic that a law designed to protect children should be putting people out of business and swelling our landfills, which will be the next generation’s inheritance anyway. Families who relied on second-hand goods will find clothing their children takes a larger chunk out of their paychecks. I’m struggling to think of another solution that will protect kids from lead poisoning but preserve their parents’ access to the “reuse” cycle so many families participate in.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about how the law is going to be enforced, but looking at the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s memorandum, Retroactive Application of the CPSIA to Inventory, everyone seems pretty serious about it:

Many thrift stores seem to not have heard of the law, which will go into effect in about a month. Maybe between now and then there will be some awesome sales that will give some relief to recession-crunched families.

Hat tip to Ethical Style Blog.

UPDATE from the Consumer Product Safety Commission: Apparently there has been a change. “Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.”

Posted in Avoiding Waste, For the Kids, Reuse  |  

About the Author

Kim works in the IT department and is from a psychology, human rights, and health care advocacy background.