Textile Recycling

Do you have old clothing you don’t need anymore? A single shoe you’re not sure what to do with? Do you have old bedding or pillows you feel no one else would use again?

Along with donating gently used clothing to the Haliburton 4Cs Lily Ann Thrift Store and the SIRCH Community Services’ Thrift Warehouse, residents of the Municipality of Dysart et al can drop off textiles for recycling at Dysart’s five waste disposal sites!

Dysart residents can drop off textiles including:

items you wear “head to foot”
- clothes including undergarments and socks
- hats
- scarves
- ties
- jackets
- coats
- belts
- shoes (including single shoes)
- jewelry
- purses
- backpacks
- bedding
- blankets
- curtains
- fabric
- pillows
- sleeping bags
- towels

While textiles should be clean, Dysart’s textile recycling program will also accept torn, worn out, stained or scrap textiles. Please place textiles in clear bags to help keep materials dry.

Look for the purple textile recycling drop-off bins at Haliburton Landfill. Only drop off bagged textiles during the Waste Disposal Sites regular operating hours (entering a site when it is closed is trespassing).

Who operates the textile recycling program?

Dysart’s textile recycling program is delivered by Diabetes Canada a registered, charitable organization that supports people experiencing Diabetes through supporting individuals impacted and funding research for a cure. Diabetes Canada is a member of National Association for Charitable Textile Recycling (NACTR).

More information regarding Diabetes Canada can be found on their webpage.

How are textiles recycled?

Diabetes Canada collects the textile materials dropped off at Dysart’s Haliburton Waste Disposal Site. Once collected, the textiles are delivered to a warehouse facility. During unloading, textiles are weighed on a certified scale. Textiles are then manually sorted into categories such as “below average,” “average,” and “above average.” Upon completion and periodic inspection of the sorted material, employees proceed to the baling and labelling of the product. Bales are loaded into containers and shipped locally, nationally and internationally, where requested.

While sorting, all unusable material is moved out to a “quarantine” area. The unusable items are shipped to a local grader, where they are shredded to be used as industrial cloth rags and wipes, and insulation and stuffing.

Since opening in 1985 Diabetes Canada has diverted over 3 billion pounds of clothing and household items from landfills, raised over $200+ million to fund research and help send 30,000+ kids to camp and collected donations from homes over 36 million times.

A local and global issue

In January 2022, Dysart conducted a waste composition study. The study found textiles accounted for 1.63% of Papers Recycling (incorrect stream), 0.37% of Containers Recycling (incorrect stream), and 2.61% of Garbage.

In Canada, the average person throws out 36.7 kg (81 lbs) of textiles annually, while North Americans send 10 million tonnes of clothing to landfill every year. With the advent of "fast fashion," in 2014, the average consumer purchased 60% more clothing than in 2000, but only kept each item for half as long.

By recycling textiles, you help protect the environment and extend the lifespans of our landfills.