Help keep clothes and toys out of Barrie, Ont.'s landfill

A bag of textiles ready for pick up in Barrie, Ont. (Source: City of Barrie)

While the heat makes it feel like summer will last forever, the city of Barrie is encouraging you to review your winter wardrobe and toss away the clothes that may have shrunk.

In addition, you can pack up old linens, towels, shoes and your stuffed toy collection and place them at the curb next week, too.

Barrie’s textile curbside collection program runs from Sept. 11 to 15.

Donating your items is easy:

• Confirm your textile collection day (it’s a different day than your regular collection day for garbage, recycling and green bin material).
• Place your items in a bag (preferably a clear bag, but if you don’t have a clear bag, you can use any waterproof bag), and put a note on the bag that reads "textiles.”
• Put your items on the curb on your textile collection day by 7 a.m., rain or shine. The bags will be picked up by Recycling Rewards trucks before 5 p.m. on your textile collection day.

Your textile collection day is different than your regular garbage, recycling and green bin collection day. Call 1-866-927-3873, or email [e-mail] to determine your textile collection day or review the full list of acceptable items.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device 
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

During the last textile collection in May 2023, Recycling Rewards trucks collected more than 14 tonnes of material from Barrie homes.

Barrie has two curbside textile collections per year. The next collection will take place in May 2024.

Four textile bins at facilities across the city accept textile donations year-round. The bin locations are as follows: Operations Centre at 165 Ferndale Drive North, Wastewater Treatment Facility at 167 Bradford Street, Sadlon Arena at 555 Bayview Drive, and Allandale Recreation Centre at 190 Bayview Drive.

Visit Barrie's Alternative Waste Disposal site for more information about ways to dispose of reusable clothing, textiles, and other items.