Before sunrise on October mornings in Barrie, clear bags filled with once-loved shirts, worn sneakers, and faded linens line the curbs, waiting for a second act. In a city ever mindful of its landfill’s limits, the question is no longer what to toss but what can be salvaged.
Barrie faces a challenge familiar to municipalities across Canada: the relentless march of textile waste toward already strained landfills. The numbers tell a stark story. According to city sources, roughly 85 per cent of textiles wind up buried, despite an estimated 95 per cent being fully recyclable. Every bag of discarded clothing is a missed opportunity, both for the environment and for resource recovery.
This autumn, Barrie’s waste management team has sharpened its focus. Textile Collection Week, running from October 6 to 10, signals a shift in approach. The city’s curbside collection program invites residents to bundle their gently used items—clothing, footwear, linens—into labelled, clear bags and set them out by 7 a.m. on their designated collection day. The process mirrors regular waste routines, but with a twist: instead of landfill, these textiles are rerouted for recycling and reuse.
Participation is unrestricted. Residents can place as many bags as needed, and for those with late spring cleaning urges, four year-round textile bins at city facilities provide ongoing access. Collection is handled by Recycling Rewards trucks before 5 p.m., rain or shine, ensuring textiles are diverted before they reach the landfill’s gates.
The timing is no accident. As autumn signals renewal for many households, Barrie positions itself as a model of local stewardship. Each clear bag is a small act of resistance against landfill overflow and a quiet testament to a community’s willingness to adapt. The initiative underscores a straightforward truth: effective waste management relies not just on policy, but on the daily choices of residents determined to give old fabrics a new lease on life.
References:
Here’s how Barrie is preventing your reusable items from reaching the landfill
