FAQs

All used clothing, textiles and fabrics will be accepted as part of the Pilot Project, whether they are lightly used, soiled or damaged. This includes sheets, blankets, towels, rags, pillows, and stuffed animals.

Other donations, such as housewares, books, media and electronics, will be accepted at the Goodwill Donation Centre located on site.

Please refer to the list of items that are not accepted at Goodwill Industries.

“End-of-life” textiles refers to clothing, fabrics and other textile products that have reached the end of their original purpose. For example, a shirt that is torn or stained, outdated fashion or style, or uniforms that are no longer needed.

“Reusable” textiles are clothing, fabrics and textile products that can be used multiple times, either for their original purpose or in a new way. These textiles are still in good enough condition to serve a function and not become discarded as waste.

“Recoverable” textiles are clothing, fabrics and textile products that are no longer usable in their current format but still can be reclaimed, processed or transformed into other products or new materials instead of being discarded as waste.

Your donations will be carefully sorted into reusable and recoverable items.

Reusable items will be made available for purchase in Goodwill stores, while recoverable items will support various recycling initiatives, including mechanical, chemical and thermal recycling pilot projects.

Our goal is to keep as much out of landfill as possible. However, some items may contain contaminants that make them unsuitable for reuse or recycling (recovery). These items will be sent to landfill.

Yes, but please make this known to the team member accepting your donation.

We will be evaluating how effectively the drive reduces the volume of textiles sent to landfills by measuring the following:

• Total Weight of Textiles Collected (kilograms and pounds)
• Reuse vs. Recycling vs. Disposal breakdown (kilograms, pounds and percentage)
• Record the number of participants and number of donated items (number)
• Educational awareness and community impact through survey questions (summary of feedback response)

You can stay informed or ask questions by subscribing to our project updates.

You can continue to donate used clothing and textiles at the Goodwill location located at 1570 Oxford St W. There are also many donation centres located throughout the city.

The Worn or Torn Donation Drive (pilot project) is a partnership between the City of London, Goodwill Industries and Fanshawe College. Each partner has a specific roll to play:

• The City of London’s goal is to help Londoners divert more reusable textiles from landfill and to increase waste diversion
• Fanshawe College aims to discover innovative ways to reuse or recycle textiles
• Goodwill hopes to increase public awareness on the growing need to keep items in reuse… extending the life cycle of textiles, reducing the amount of waste going to landfills, and conserving resources