City of London and Goodwill launch second annual ‘Worn or Torn’ textile donation drive

Londoners are urged to reuse and recycle their old clothes as part of the city’s annual ‘Worn or Torn Donation Drive.’

The City of London, in partnership with Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes, has announced the return of the successful ‘Worn or Torn Donation Drive,’ inviting all Londoners to give their used clothing and textiles a second life and divert waste from landfills.

Organizers are hoping to build on the success of last year’s pilot program. Residents are encouraged to donate all types of textile items, regardless of their condition, to support environmental sustainability and community programs.

“The first donation drive showed us that Londoners are eager to donate their old rags and torn items to keep waste out of landfill, but they need a way to do it,” said Shawna Chambers, director of climate change, environment & waste management for the City of London. “We are excited to provide this opportunity again, but this time, citywide. All Londoners can donate old textiles to be reused or repurposed, rather than become garbage.”

President and CEO for Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes Bev Kobe highlighted the dual benefits of the initiative.

“Every sock, towel, sheet and piece of clothing that’s donated helps power climate action while creating skills training and jobs for people who need work the most,” Kobe stated.

The program accepts all textile materials. Items in good condition will be resold in Goodwill stores, with proceeds supporting job search and retraining programs. More significantly, the drive aims to repurpose even heavily worn or damaged items.

Rainer Voigt, vice-president of operations and sustainability for Goodwill Industries, explained the innovative avenues for these materials.

“We have mechanical initiatives where you can transform a poly cotton blend into perhaps automotive insulation, insulation for homes and under padding for carpet. There are all those different avenues that we’re exploring,” Voigt told CTV News, noting that the program is contributing to research initiatives, offering promising results in research into mechanical and chemical recycling.

The environmental impact is significant, with landfill diversion as a key objective. Jessica Favalaro, the City of London’s waste diversion manager, emphasized the importance of these efforts.

“There is only so much space [in landfills],” she explained. “But when there is a mechanism to have those materials go elsewhere rather than the landfill site, that’s the of course, the preferred option, right? Landfill is always last resort.”

Last year’s pilot program in Byron demonstrated the potential, collecting over 35,000 lbs of textiles, with only one percent ending up in landfill.

The collected materials were sorted: 41 per cent were resold, 35 per cent were repurposed into new products like car seating, and 23 per cent were recycled into materials such as automotive rags and reclaimed fibers.

Londoners are encouraged to participate by dropping off their unwanted textiles at the Goodwill store located inside Sherwood Forest Mall anytime between May 14 and June 5.