Sustainability - Developmental Disabilities Association

Please note: As of October 20th, we will no longer be collecting used clothing and household items. Thank you for your support of our clothing recycling program. Donate Clothes

Sustainability

At DDA, we strive to effect positive change in our society not only by offering and supporting developmental services, but also by reducing our ecological footprint. We are committed to environmental sustainability through the implementation and usage of different recycling programs and audits.

Environmental Sustainability

Developmental Disabilities Association was presented with the Recycling Council of British Columbia’s 2009 MOBI Award for excellence in environmental stewardship in BC.

We strive to effect positive change in our society not only by offering and supporting developmental services, but also by reducing our ecological footprint. We are committed to environmental sustainability through the implementation and usage of different recycling programs and audits. Through recycling, we help our environment by diverting useful material from landfills, saving energy, and reducing the amount of CO2 released into our atmosphere.

 

DDA is proud of their environmental sustainability efforts and ongoing achievements:

  • Recycled over 2,700 tonnes annually of potential landfill by collecting bags of clothing, house wares, and other products
  • Recycles all paper and cardboard items through an in-house recycling program at their Head Office
  • Recycles scrap metal, computers, computer monitors and televisions at our Donation Station
  • Hosts clothing donation bins that recycle and reuse cloth materials
  • Hosts bottle donation bins that recycle various materials
  • Promotes environmental responsibility by hosting bins for a variety of community events
  • Proudly prints all brochures and publications using papers with post consumer recycled content
  • Only uses donation bags made of bio-degradable products
  • Motivates Cash4Clothes clothing drives in efforts to promote sustainability and recycling amongst schools and sports teams

Social Sustainability

In efforts to employ individuals with barriers to employment, we established a social enterprise, Starworks Packaging and Assembly in 2000. Starworks was created with a dual purpose: to be self sustaining  and to provide employment to individuals with developmental disabilities. Our mandate is to provide individuals with financial gain, an accessible work environment and skills suited to careers within other companies. We employ over 40 on call workers in our 5,000 square foot Vancouver warehouse with the capacity to handle all types of work that requires high volume manual labour including to contract packaging, fulfillment, kitting, and manual assembly.