Giving new life to your old or unwanted clothing is now possible at more Return-It locations throughout B.C., including the Ladner Bottle Depot.
Based on the success of a pilot project launched earlier this year, the clothing recycling initiative has been expanded from 13 to 32 depot locations in the region.
“The average adult throws out about 81 pounds of clothing and other textiles every year,” said Allen Langdon, president and CEO of Return-It. “In Metro Vancouver alone, 40,000 tonnes of textiles end up in the landfill annually, making up approximately five per cent of the region’s municipal solid waste. Those numbers provide a clear rationale for our new expanded program.”
During the last seven months, Return-It collected 1,640 bags of textiles – weighing over 26 metric tonnes – to help breathe new life into old garments.
Residents now have a permanent option to drop off used clothing, shoes and household textiles. Examples of accepted items include:
- Clothing – Shirts, coats, pants, dresses, shorts and children’s clothes
- Textiles – Sheets, towels, curtains, drapes, blankets, linens
- Footwear – Shoes (all types), boots, slippers
Return-It has partnered with Bank & Vogue – one of the largest traders of used clothing in North America – to pursue a shared mandate of diverting waste from landfill. Items collected through the program are distributed to re-use organizations within Western Canada.
“Most of us have unused or unloved clothing taking up space at home,” added Langdon. “Now, more B.C. residents can conveniently recycle textiles while they’re returning refundable beverage containers and other items. Given the positive feedback from the pilot, I’m optimistic we’ll be able to continue to expand the program across the province.”
