Doing some spring cleaning? The City of Orillia is running its first curbside clothing and textile collection week from May 27 to 31, 2024.
“We are pleased to now offer a special curbside clothing and textile collection in Orillia,” said Mayor Don McIsaac. “I encourage residents to take advantage of this new service. By diverting these items from landfills, we’re taking another step towards a greener, more sustainable future.”
To ensure collection, all clothing and textile items must be clean and dry and be in clear bags. There is no limit to the number of bags that can be set out, but each bag should not exceed 20kg. Acceptable items include:
- Clothing including belts, coats, and hats.
- Purses, backpacks, and luggage.
- Undergarments.
- Shoes, socks, and mittens (in pairs).
- Linens including bedding, towels, pillows/cushions, and sewing fabric.
- Stuffed toys.
Bags must be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on your scheduled clothing and textile collection day. Clothing and textile collection days differ from regular waste collection days. To determine your collection day, please see the attached collection map, visit orillia.ca/waste or download the Recycle Coach app. The app is available free of charge from the App Store and Google Play.
“Clothing and textiles represent almost six per cent or about 200 tonnes of the garbage set out for collection in Orillia per year, and this is equivalent to the average weight of a house,” said Greg Preston, Director of Waste Management and Environmental Compliance. “This new service aims to increase our waste diversion rate further to align with the goals from the City’s Waste Minimization Plan.”
Residents can also drop off used clothing and textiles in the donation bins which are now available at the Waste Diversion Site. These bins are available for use year-round. All donations must be contained in clear bags. Donation bins are available for City of Orillia residents only.
City staff have worked with the service provider, Recycling Rewards, to bring this new annual collection event to Orillia at no additional cost. The reusable items are sold through the retail thrift stores, Talize. A portion of the revenues from the collected textiles directly support Cornerstone to Recovery, a non-profit charitable agency that provides community-based recovery programs for individuals and families experiencing and impacted by addiction.
Additional information, including a detailed list of acceptable items, is available at orillia.ca/waste.
