Last month, associates at Honda of Canada Manufacturing (HCM) did their part to reduce waste by participating in “Textile Tuesday,” part of Waste Reduction Week, a year-round program that focuses on resource efficiency, waste reduction and a circular economy.

On October 20, associates at HCM were encouraged to bring in old clothing items, shoes, bags and luggage, bedding, draperies and cushions, pillows and fabric for curbside drop off at the plant.

“It was our first contactless textile drive, so we weren’t exactly sure how it would go. But Textiles Tuesday was a great success,” said Sheila Goodfellow, Communication and Community Relations for HCM.

Kidney Clothes, the trust for the Kidney Foundation, provided two trucks at HCM to pick up the items. For contactless drop-off, associates could drive up and unload their bag of textiles or have a volunteer from Kidney Clothes remove the bag directly from their trunk.

According to Kidney Clothes, the average person throws away 82 pounds (37 kilograms) of textiles each year, and 95 percent of those clothes could be reused or recycled.

In addition to supporting the Kidney Foundation, a portion of the proceeds will go to a charity of HCM’s choice. Based on the weight of items donated (5,983 lbs) a donation of $766 will be made to Eat Well to Excel. This is a breakfast/nutrition program for local elementary and high schools near Alliston, Ont.