Textile Diversion Program Opportunities for collaboration diabetes.ca 1-800-BANTING (226-8464)
Who we are and what we do Clothesline has been collecting gently used clothing in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) for more than 30 years Clothesline diverts 100M lbs. annually from landfill and contributes $10 million per year to the CDA in support of its mission Clothesline collects clothing from 1.7M homes, 3,500 clothing donation boxes and 2,900 partnerships Clothesline services 2500 Communities across Canada from 28 regional operations 2
The importance of textile diversion 85 per cent of textiles go to landfill sites across Canada Textiles account for 5 11% of all garbage in landfills Every consumer in Canada produces 66-88 lbs. of textile waste per year On average, Canadians purchase 62 new textile items per year, plus 7 pairs of shoes per year x 36 million = 2.2 billion garments, 252 million shoes = Huge Waste Problem!! 3
Textile donations online survey found There a lack of knowledge about what types of clothes can be donated. It showed that textiles, such as towels or bed sheets are often forgotten. The survey indicated that there is a need for consumer education about what can be donated. Those involved in textile collections need to change their communication strategies - this is where the partnership between Clothesline and municipalities is so important! Clothing donations are dependent on convenience and accessibility of donation boxes, only 42% of the participants know at least one spot that is very convenient to reach. These numbers suggest that for many people donation boxes are not placed in convenient locations. 4
Benefits of partnering with us Clothesline provides convenient and accessible donation locations which significantly increases textile waste diversion efforts Collaborative education and awareness campaign that addresses textile waste and collection efforts communication and education are key to changing behaviors! Cost savings for municipal waste management infrastructure Clothesline s textile recycling program is a FREE service 5
Benefits of partnering with us.continued Clothesline will create a customized operational service plan to meet the specific needs of each municipality (service runs seven days a week) Clothesline is fully insured Municipal branded recycling boxes at no additional cost, clear message to the public that this is a reputable charity and recycling program Textile collection data including sustainability and impact reports will be made available on regular basis 6
Multi-residential textile reuse program Designed specifically for multi-residential properties (condos and apartment buildings). These bins are placed in the interior of these facilities, typically in: recycling rooms, moving rooms, garbage rooms, underground parking areas etc. Clothesline currently has over 500 urban bins placed across Canada We are currently working with all of the leading property management firms in Canada such as Del, Brookfield, and First Service Bins are serviced every week, all diversion data is collected and reported back to the municipality on a regular basis 7
8 Clothesline Multi-residential textile reuse program partners City of Markham Canada s first municipal sponsored multi-residential textile recycling program Region of Durham We are currently doing a pilot project with 12 sites in the region
Strategic placement of textile recycling boxes on municipal property Providing convenient and accessible donation locations that are well known to the public significantly increases textile waste diversion efforts, some examples of these sites include: fire stations, police stations, community centres, arenas, city hall etc. This municipal program can be easily incorporated into our downloadable Clothesline smart phone application that allows the user to find and locate the bin closest to them. Municipal branded recycling boxes are available 9
Strategic placement on municipal property, partnerships City of London, 11 Arenas, 15 placements City of Brampton, 17 Community Centers 10
Strategic placement on municipal property, partnerships City of Calgary Recycling Depots City of Vancouver Recycling Depots 11
Community Environmental day initiatives Environmental days are a great way to engage with the public and educate them on the importance of textile recycling and reuse Clothesline also provides diabetes educational materials at all events that we attend Clothesline has the full operational capabilities to participate in both small and large environmental day activities. We participate in these events on an ongoing basis all across the country All collection data is provided to the municipality for their records 12
City employee engagement clothing drive initiatives Participating in a clothing drive initiative would allow the municipality to take on a leadership position and lead by example Clothesline would be very pleased to incorporate a diabetes lunch and learn educational program into the clothing drive initiative Significant public relations value for all parties while helping to bring awareness to textile recycing and reuse as well as diabetes education 13
City employee engagement clothing drive initiative Clothesline is currently doing a clothing drive with the City of Mississauga (including their City Hall/Civic Center, Central library and all 12 of their community centers engaging over 1500 employees Clothesline is also currently doing a clothing drive with the City of Vaughan s City Hall - engaging over 700 employees 14
Recycling centres Currently Clothesline manages over 20 donation locations in 7 provinces all of which are staffed to greet and accept donations. We currently have two retail locations within high traffic areas offering donors convenience, retail hours and staff to greet and accept donations. We would be very excited to discuss further opportunities for collaboration with you all including running recycling/re-use centres. 15
Thank you. Thank you for your kind consideration of partnering with the Clothesline textile diversion program. Simon Langer National Government and Strategic Partnerships Canadian Diabetes Association National Diabetes Trust/Clothesline C: 905-751-6889 simon.langer@diabetesclothesline.ca 16