Toronto has the 4th largest waste management system in North America, recycling 200,000 tonnes per year through the Blue Bin Recycling Program.
Clothing does NOT go into recycling bins. New initiatives to address improper textile waste disposal are currently underway in the Toronto.
Textiles contaminates Toronto's #BlueBins, drastically harming Toronto's #recycling program by tangling sorting machines, damaging #equipment, and increasing the risk of workplace injuries. Textile contamination costs the City millions in processing fees.
The City's Long-Term Waste Management Strategy (LTWMS) is an ambitious plan to guide waste management over the next 3 to 5 decades. The #LTWMS commits the City to divert #landfill-destined waste by 70%, supporting a shift towards a circular economy and a #ZeroWaste future. Formal work directing has begun to develop a City-wide textile #WasteDiversion program.
The City has officially requested the Government of Ontario to consider requiring all businesses to provide information on reuse, recycling, and disposal options at the point of purchase for textile items. Expanded access to information will make it easier for Torontonians to make conscious decisions when disposing of textile waste. To learn more about what happens to clothing once they are disposed, consider watching the following CBC Marketplace piece entitled "How fast fashion adds to the world's clothing waste problem".
Toronto is considering installing drop boxes to provide easier ways to responsibly dispose of used clothing. A report on this initiative is expected to come before #CityCouncil in the winter of 2021.
Sincerely,
Comments