City of Markham: Markham Tackles Textiles wins the Peter J. Marshall award- THANK YOU RESIDENTS FOR RECYCLING YOUR TEXTILES!
Markham is receiving the award for its textile recycling program. The initiative is aimed at reducing the number of textiles going to landfill and the unregulated “used clothing” bins.
The recognition stems from the fact Canadian consumers produce 60 to 88 pounds (approximately 27 to 40 kilograms) of textile waste a year. Some 85 percent of that amount is thrown away. In York Region, it amounts to seven percent of the waste stream.
Markham partnered with registered charities to rebrand donation containers placed across the city at both public and private locations.
Since the project was launched in late 2016, more than 14 million pounds (about 6.4 million kilograms) of unwanted textiles has been diverted to reuse and recycling activities – and in the hands of legitimate charities.
Leveraging community partnerships with local registered charities sees the charities serving and maintaining the Markham donation bins. Proceeds from the textile donations stay with the charity and actively support local employment and community services.