Did you know that the average North American throws away 81 pounds of clothing every year?
The Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) has released their Community Impact Report, an overview on DDA’s clothing donation business and the positive impact it has on textile recycling.
The Community Impact Report details all profits from their clothing collection business go to the programs and services of the people with developmental disabilities that they support including housing, employment programs, transportation, technology and more.
It also includes several informative statistics on textile recycling including that DDA diverts more than 6 million pounds of textiles and housewares from landfills every year, which amounts to saving local municipalities up to $400,000 annually on disposal fees.
“DDA has been collecting used textiles in the Lower Mainland since 1980, but we’ve never announced to the community our positive impact on the environment and how we’ve reduced municipal costs over the years,” says Alanna Hendren, executive director.
“We’ve released the community impact report so people can see how – together – we are contributing to positive environmental and social progress.”
DDA is also involved in the community through providing an annual scholarship awarded to a secondary school graduate student with a disability, through research projects with universities and supporting a division of BC Baseball that provides the opportunity for children with disabilities to enjoy the benefits of playing baseball. All of these community supports would not be possible without the proceeds from clothing donations.
The Developmental Disabilities Association accepts donations through their free home pick-up service, white clothing donation bins, Cash 4 Clothes fundraiser, and other drop-off locations. For more information, visit: https://www.develop.bc.ca/donate-clothes/.