Have relatives in the Dominican Republic? You can’t send them used clothes any more thanks to a recent government crackdown.
That’s according to a report in El Diario, as reported by Univision News.The story says Dominican officials are newly enforcing a 38-year old law and it means no used clothes.
The law prevents used clothes from being shipped in boxes to the island nation. According to El Diario, the Dominican Republic received 22,515 tons of used clothes in 2012, up from 1,887 tons in 2005. Much of it comes from Dominican expatriates in the United States.
“I send shirts, pants, and used shoes to my three children who live in Santo Domingo, and also to many of my cousins,” 72-year-old Andres Castillo told El Diario. “Life is too expensive over there, and its hard for a poor person to take money out of his pocket, even if it’s just to buy a shirt.”
The law that prevents used textiles from entering the island nation, was designed back in 1973, when businessmen where importing large amounts of used clothes into the country, as well as other textiles that could become a public health hazard, such as bed-linens discarded by U.S. hospitals.
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