Encorp Pacific is launching a pilot program in the Lower Mainland that will give residents another option to get rid of used clothing.
The Ladner Return-It Depot on Elliott Street in Ladner Village is one of 13 recycling depots across the region participating in the pilot project.
The pilot is being launched in partnership with Bank & Vogue to test the feasibility of using the province-wide Return-It depot network to help collect gently used clothing, shoes and other household textiles.
Bank & Vogue is one of the largest traders of used clothes in North America, the parent company to the European vintage retail chain Beyond Retro, and operates one of the largest re-manufacturing facilities in the world.
Every year, the average adult throws out about 81 pounds of clothing and other textiles. In Metro Vancouver alone, 40,000 tonnes of textiles go to the landfill every year, making up approximately five per cent of the region’s municipal solid waste.
By gathering data and working with government and other stakeholders, the pilot program will help Encorp Pacific evaluate how to integrate solutions for textile reuse in other regions of the province. All textiles collected through the pilot will be distributed to reuse organizations and companies within Western Canada.
“Our new textiles program is about convenience,” said Allen Langdon, president and CEO of Encorp Pacific. “We want to give British Columbians more options for giving their textiles a second life, with the ultimate goal of keeping those items out of landfills to support a circular economy.”
The three-month pilot program will allow people to drop off clothing from March to May.
