The Salvation Army Thrift Store in Richmond Hill marks the first anniversary at their new location by celebrating their community.
“It’s been an amazing year back in Richmond Hill and our guests have been incredible,” says Maria Guayacan, Retail District Manager at The Salvation Army Thrift Store. The Thrift Store re-opened in July of last year after being closed for over a year following a location change to 11300 Yonge Street.
“We are happy to be here to serve Richmond Hill, providing incredible savings, unique finds and great service. This is an outlet for this community to make a difference by donating to support Salvation Army programs and services. Our team at the store are so dedicated to what they do,” Guayacan added.
To show their appreciation the Thrift Store will be hosting an anniversary event on Friday, July 28th. With 50% off all clothing taking place on the day, guests to the Richmond Hill location can also enjoy refreshments and a special giveaway to the first 50 guests who make a purchase.
The Thrift Store has been a staple in Richmond Hill for over ten years and is proud to give back to the community that shows such support. “This community is very generous, they are always donating amazing finds which benefits the countless families and seniors who come through our doors,” Guayacan added. The team is looking forward to another ten years of giving back.
Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. The store is closed on Sunday. The Donor Welcome Centre is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sundays 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
In less than one year, Markham has turned 3,102,992 million pounds (1,407,763 kilograms) of possible trash into donations. Since the City of Markham first installed textile donation containers across the municipality in the fall of 2016, residents have recycled textiles in a big way.
“Markham’s new award winning textile program has received a tremendously positive response from our residents,” said Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “The goal of this program is to work with our residents to increase our current waste diversion rate of 81 per cent through textile recycling and prevent textiles from ending up in the landfill.”
According to recent estimates, 95 per cent of clothing thrown out each year could be reused again. When Markham implemented the Clear Bag Program in 2013, asking residents to switch from dark garage bags to clear garbage bags, the City’s Waste Management department noticed that the curbside garbage was full of textiles. Further research found that Markham residents throw out about 15 kilograms (33 pounds) per household each year.
Instead of tossing unwanted textiles out with trash, Markham residents can now take their bagged donations to any one of the many new convenient Markham donation containers located across the City, including Markham Recycling Depots, Fire Stations and community centres. Markham’s textile recycling program accepts all unwanted textiles including single socks, ripped t-shirts, old sheets and worn-out shoes, even items that are torn or stained.
“Markham is the first jurisdiction in Canada to ban all textiles – clothes, towels, curtains, shoes from trash bags starting April 2017,” said Jack Heath, Deputy Mayor and Chair, Waste Diversion Sub-Committee. “Residents are being asked instead to drop them off at new city managed textile donation bins. All donations go to registered charities – The Salvation Army Thrift Store and Diabetes Canada.”
Items that cannot be reused or re-worn will be recycled into new products, such as rags, paper, insulation or shredded down for stuffing or fiber recycling. Items in good condition will be sold at thrift stores, diverting unnecessary waste from landfills, saving natural resources and helping to generate funds and jobs to help those in need.
“Thank you to the Markham community, who have given generously since the textile recycling program has launched. We have calculated the textile diversion efforts in Markham amounting to 2,978,991 pounds (1,351,249 kilograms),” said Tonny Colyn, National Product Acquisitions Manager, The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
The textile program has been made possible through a $67,000 grant the City of Markham received from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities under the Green Municipal Fund. Markham’s textile recycling program serves as a demonstration for other municipalities and helps to build awareness on the carbon costs of textiles ending up in the landfill.
The City of Markham has partnered with The Salvation Army Thrift Store, Diabetes Canada and Value Village to deliver this program. The Salvation Army Thrift Store and Diabetes Canada service the Markham donation containers and collect materials at no cost. Materials collected are sorted to determine suitability for rewear, reuse or recycling.
The new textile donation containers feature new and cutting edge technology, including: battery operated sensors that detect when the bin is full and activate an alert for pick up – to avoid overfilling, bin sensors, located inside the bin roof, that are linked to an online application that tracks and monitors the quantities of textile collections and calculates the diversion rate at the end of each month, and a solar powered security camera to help prevent illegal dumping and vandalism.
Peel residents have contributed to cleaner landfills diverting 1 million pounds of reusable goods through a successful partnership between The Salvation Army Thrift Store and the Region of Peel.
In just seven months, The Salvation Army Thrift Store’s Donor Welcome Centres (DWCs) – located in four of the Region of Peel Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) – and a thrift store located at the Brampton CRC have diverted 1 million pounds of gently used clothing, household goods and furniture.
“We are extremely grateful to the community and the Region, which have helped us achieve this major milestone,” said Tonny Colyn, National Product Acquisition Manager at The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
“Our partnership with the Region of Peel makes it easier for everyone to donate, which is evident in the 16,000 donors we’ve had donate at these locations since August,” said Colyn. “With this initial result, we are moving full-speed ahead inviting more residents to shop and donate with us, helping the Region reach its 75 per cent waste diversion goal.”
The Salvation Army Thrift Store, located at the Brampton CRC, opened on September 6, 2016, while the organization’s four Donor Welcome Centres in the Region opened the previous month. The donation locations are:
Brampton: Brampton CRC, 395 Chrysler Dr. and Heart Lake CRC, 420 Railside Dr.
Mississauga: Battleford CRC, 2255 Battleford Rd. and Fewster CRC, 1126 Fewster Dr.
“Thank you, Peel residents, for bringing your reusable goods to our Community Recycling Centres. We appreciate you working with us to divert more usable goods from landfill and help us meet the Region’s 75 per cent waste diversion goal,” said Norm Lee, the Region of Peel’s Director of Waste Management.
“We also appreciate The Salvation Army Thrift Store working in partnership with us to provide these enhanced services for our community.”
The Salvation Army Thrift Store Donor Welcome Centres accept accessories, antiques and collectibles, books and media, eye glasses, furniture, gently used clothing, household items, plumbing fixtures, power equipment, shoes, small appliances, sports equipment, tools, shop equipment, and toys.