What to Do When You Have Clothes to Recycle in Toronto – a Growing Waste Concern
Clothing waste. Of all Toronto’s waste, clothing and textiles make up about 5% of it every year. Millions of pounds of it are sent to landfills every year. In fact, on a per-capita basis, we send a surprisingly high amount of clothing that could otherwise find alternative use.
Clothing consumption in Toronto
We buy 3 times the amount of clothes today as we did in the 1980s. We live in a strong consumer culture where consumption is king. In terms of waste, this isn’t a good thing as it means more clothing’s getting tossed out. Clothing’s become cheap, easy to buy, and so instead of sewing, repairing, or recycling our clothes in some way, it’s become so much simpler to toss it in a dumpster, waste bin, or to put it out at the road.
Reducing the clothes you buy and wear
There are many ways to cut down on clothing waste in Toronto, including to focus on reduction rather than recycling. If we choose to buy higher quality materials and clothes, they last longer. This saves you money and saves waste. No more of these cheap Walmart t-shirts. They don’t last! Another approach to take is to buy second-hand clothing from a Value Village or similar thrift store.
Repairing the clothes you want to throw out
Why do you want to throw out your clothing? Can it be repaired in some way? There are 1000s of YouTube tutorials and probably millions of blogs out there sharing insights on how to repair clothing, how to sew a button, how to fix a ripped seam, and more. DIY it up. If you’re talking a favourite dress, favourite coat, or your comfiest sweater, repairing it is worth the time, effort, or cost. On top of that, you’ll further reduce your clothing waste.
Reuse them by donating your clothes
Toronto has several non-profit organizations and second-hand clothing retailers willing to take clothing you want to throw away. When you are ready to move on from your clothing and you are absolutely sure you don’t want to keep it, try donating. Anything clean, dry, and packed should be accepted. If it’s mouldy, stained with paint, or oil-covered, unfortunately, these aren’t recyclable or reusable.
Don’t put clothing in the blue bin
Some Torontonians with the best of intentions think that putting clothing in their blue bin will get these materials or textiles recycled. It won’t. In fact, clothing is a main source of contamination within Toronto’s blue bin recycling system. The blue bin system is meant for recyclables only. Clothing doesn’t fit that description, although many of us may personally consider them recyclable. If you need to get clothing out of the house right away, go to a thrift store willing to accept it and offload there.
How much clothing do we throw away every year?
The average person in Toronto throws away 81 pounds of textiles and clothing every year. The majority of the clothing we throw away which ends up in our landfills is also reusable. Though clothing recycling in Toronto is not something often discussed – and rightfully so as there are pressing waste concerns with more urgency to be handled – it’s a growing issue. Clothing waste is something within our power to change today city-wide if we wanted to.
