This blog is kind of out of the norm for me, but it is an agency and service that is near and dear to my heart. The more I talk to people about this amazing program, there are so many people who do not know about it.
We have all done it… thrown an old shirt with holes or shoes that did not quite make the cut any longer, into the garbage. And we all know that this fills our landfills and takes years to break down, but we did not know what else to do. If you are like me, I feel the guilt of putting anything in the garbage. I always want to save anything and everything or recycle and reuse it. With that being said, I worked for Mission Services of London in another life. For those of you who do not know about Mission Services of London, it is a non-profit organization in London, ON that helps those living in poverty or those who are homeless. They provide services to men, women, children, and their store provides a voucher program that helps individuals get back on their feet with the basics of life - clothing, bedding, housewares and so much more. The Mission Store and I were on a first-name basis when I worked there. I was there so much; the volunteers and staff were picking out items I would like and fit into. They had my style and sizes down to fine art. This is where I began to donate my unwanted items for others to enjoy as well.
Little to my knowledge were some of the non-sellable textile items that were donated to the Mission Store. I cannot quite remember how the Assistant Store Manager at the time, and I got on the topic of what they do with these discarded items and clothes, but when I heard about this program, I did a happy dance. The Mission Store has a textile recycling program for all the clothes, shoes, purses, sheets, blankets, etc. that are not sellable! You heard that right! THEY RECYCLE TEXTILE WASTE! You can take your textile items that are not sellable to their store and donate it to be recycled!!! It does not have to go into the garbage! This is a little hidden service that many do not know about.
The Mission Store then sells their textile waste to a company that sends it into third-world markets or recycles it into industrial wiping rags. They send approximately 4,000 pounds per week, so just over 200,000 pounds of textile waste per year. And of course, all the money made from the sale of the waste goes back into programs that Mission Services of London offers to their clients. This is why I love this program and had to tell you all about it! It is a win-win for everyone.
The Mission Store also recycles all their scrap metal to a local scrap yard in the city. On average, they recycle about 50,000 pounds per year. Again, the money goes back into their programs.
One of the Mission Store’s objectives is to reuse everything that is donated in some way, shape or form and not to throw items into our landfills. I am not aware of other agencies that do this in other areas, but it does not hurt to call the donation center in your area. If you live in the London and surrounding area, The Mission Store is located on 4-797 York Street, London, ON N5W 6A8. This is also a great way to give back and support an agency that does great things for homelessness and those living in need.
So next time you are cleaning out your closets and have textiles that are not resalable, donate them first instead of throwing them out, so we can all do a “happy dance’ for our environment together.