A Ban on 2nd Hand Undergarments Starting February 2011, 2nd hand knickers are banned from being sold.. And some people are not happy about it. Cynthia, another market trader, defended the business. "Second-hand underwear and other clothes we sell here at Kantamanto Market are better quality than new undies in the stores," she said. She admitted that some of the imported underwear was stained but said customers rummage through the piles and inspect goods before buying. "No matter how poor the person is, they will not chose stained ones and we throw them away," she said. One trader insisted that all the goods she sold had been disinfected.It appears they are doing this because "". flickr/cc - xavi talleda When bed bugs were making the news about the infestation in New York and they were spreading down the the east coast and moving westward, people were freaking out. Yet no one called for a ban on used mattresses. The reason we don't have a ban on second hand items here in the states is because of (1.) it's financial impact on the poor, (2.) as long as second hand items have value, they will continue to be sold and there is no specific way sanitize some items, like mattresses and finally, (3.) the money to regulate it would not be cost-effective.
I am not someone to buy a used mattress or underwear, but I can understand the financial impact to those who don't have the means to purchase new. And if we wash our clothes thoroughly with hot water and bleach (like we do with cloth diapers) then our undergarments should be clean enough for anyone to wear or are we doubting our cleaning supplies abilities? Initially when I read this I thought a ban would be a good idea here in the states as well, but have come to the conclusion that personal decision making is the best way to go, if enough people don't want the 2nd hand item, it won't be available and the old saying is always true: Buyer Beware Back to the Ghana ban on 2nd hand undergarments, "If the government really wants to meet the demands of poor people, it should offer support to micro-finance and small industries who are able to produce undergarments at subsidized rates, But I liked the comment mentioned in a forum: . A couple government resources for bed bugs:
Bedbug prevention and cleaning resources from the CDCWhat is a Law Label? The purpose of the law label is to inform the consumer of the hidden contents, or “filling materials” inside bedding & furniture products. The law label was born in the early 1900s to prevent these articles from being further manufactured with contents such as horse hair, corn husks and whatever else a manufacturer could find to use that the consumer would never see. It’s similar to food labeling. Law Labels must describe the filling materials of the article as a percentage of those filling materials by weight. Example: 80% Polyurethane Foam, 20% Polyester Fibers. Currently 31 states require law labels. The products requiring law labels in each state varies, as does the labeling requirements. Uniform law labels can be produced to satisfy the different requirements of each state. Law Labels are also required in most states to display a Uniform Registry Number which identifies the manufacturing facility that produced the products.
This can be any company in the world who’s products are sold in the U.S. Law Labels are governed on a state-by-state basis by various departments. Examples of these departments are: Department of Health, Weights & Measures Example of the Anatomy of a Law Label What is a Uniform Registry Number (URN)? When a manufacturer registers in a state, it is issued a Uniform Registry Number (URN). This URN must then be registered in the other states requiring registration so that only one URN is needed. This URN identifies the company as the manufacturer of the products and must be printed on the law labels attached to the products. Only a manufacturer can be issued a URN. A single manufacturing company that has multiple plants must have a different URN for each location. U.S. companies that import and/or distribute foreign products must ensure that the foreign manufacturer has proper registration where required in the U.S. Be certain that the registration number on your products, whether you manufacturer them or import them, is registered and active in the state where the products will be sold to avoid fines and products from being removed from sale!
The following list encompasses all known products that require law labels. This does not mean that if your particular product is not on the list, that it does not require a law label. If you don’t see your product listed, please contact us for a determination. It may fall under a product category on the list – or we may consult with a state official if it is something new and different. Bottom line: if it is meant to be slept, reclined or sat upon, it will require a law label! States With Tagging Laws: Registration Required States With Tagging Laws: Registration NOT Required States With Tagging Laws: New Products States With Tagging Laws: Secondhand Products Note: this list is current to the best of our knowledge and is updated immediately when new information is received as to the changing status of any state and it’s requirements.AUSTIN, Texas - A Texas mattress store that used bedding to stage a mock collapse of New York City's Twin Towers in an ad for a Sept. 11 sale on Friday said it was closing after facing a barrage of criticism that described the pitch as tasteless and offensive.
In the social media video ad that has since been pulled by San Antonio's Miracle Mattress, a woman appears on screen with two men standing by stacks of bedding. The woman says: "What better way to remember 9/11 than with a Twin Tower sale. Right now you can get any sized mattress for a twin price."The men knock over the towers of bedding, and the woman says: "Oh my God," lets out a small scream, and says, "We will never forget."On Sept. 11, 2001, two hijacked planes were slammed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center. A third plane was flown into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and a fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field. More than 2,600 people were killed.The store's owner apologized for the ad on Thursday and said on Friday the San Antonio store will be closed indefinitely."We take full responsibility for our actions and sincerely regret the hurt and pain caused by this disrespectful advertising campaign," owner Mike Bonanno said in a letter posted on the company's Facebook page on Friday.A day earlier on Facebook, he wrote on the same page, "the video is tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11."