Using the blue box recycling program is a valuable step in reducing your carbon footprint, but you can take this initiative to another level by keeping materials out of landfill in the first place by reducing, reusing, repairing or donating.
Clothing production and consumption levels have significantly increased over the past few decades, driven by demand, availability, low costs, and a throwaway culture. And the provincial recycling program does not include textiles.
Canadians discard approximately 1.1 million tonnes of apparel, representing nearly 85 per cent of all used textiles. In total, we contribute 500 million kilograms of fabric of all kinds (towels, bed linens, upholstery, etc.) to landfills each year. And that's not all. The fashion industry is a massive consumer of water, with cotton production requiring 2,700 litres of water for a single t-shirt.
The circular culture promotes the reuse, repurpose and donation of goods with the aim of preserving the vast resources required to manufacture new items. Donating is the easiest way to join the circular culture. In Ontario, donation is widely supported through charities like The Salvation Army, Goodwill, and Value Village (on behalf of non-profits), as well as municipal recycling centers.
Local shelters like the Good Shepherd Centres (Hamilton/Toronto), Covenant House (Toronto) and Safetynet (Oakville) accept direct donations. Organizations, such as the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, place donation bins in parking lots, community centers, and malls. Animal shelters often need old towels, blankets, and toys.