Donation bins at John Tod Centre to be moved because of dumping

The City of Kamloops has requested Diabetes Canada move its two donation bins at the John Tod Centre to the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

Marcia Dick, a solid waste services analyst with the city, tells Castanet that's because dumping has become an issue.

"They're supposed to be (relocated) hopefully early next week," she says.

The bins are the responsibility of Diabetes Canada, which entered into a textile donation partnership with the city in the spring of 2019. Kamloops agreed to provide the space for the bins; in turn, Diabetes Canada services them three times a week and takes care of any cleanup. The 15 bins across the Tournament Capital get emptied and the contents are taken to Value Village.

The goal is to divert textiles from the landfill while fundraising money for programs run by Diabetes Canada.

That being said, dumping continues to be a problem at all of the Kamloops sites, according to Dick. In one case, there was an act of vandalism.

"We actually had to remove one of the bins at the Yacht Club. ... It needs repairs. Somebody took some sort of saw to the hinges, so it isn't in working condition," she explains.

The decision to move the bins at the John Tod Centre follows community feedback, she adds.

"I sympathize with the residents that have the bins in their backyard." 

Dick says the city is also keeping an eye on the bins at the Bunker Road Recycling Depot.

She can only speculate as to why the dumping is happening. 

"There’s a saying, 'Dumping begets dumping.' So somebody sees material outside the bin, and they think it’s OK for them to leave it," she says. "I'm not sure what the intent is, perhaps they think somebody’s going to pick it up and it’s a good donation. When that happens, the likelihood of it being repurposed and resold, it’s reduced if it’s outside the bin."

If a bin is full, the city staffer encourages people to drop their item off at another bin or contact another organization that accepts donations.

If someone's intention is not good and they are just leaving their garbage behind, Dick says that only hurts the charity.

"Charities are trying to do good work and they’re trying to raise money and you’re just dipping into the benefit that they can provide to people with diabetes."

Dick says she's heard of dumping happening elsewhere, including at the SPCA's thrift stores.

Overall, the program has been a success, Dick says. In 2019, 63,000 pounds of textiles were diverted locally. This year, that number is currently sitting at 121,000 pounds.

"On average, in 2019, Diabetes Canada was collecting about 3.5 tonnes a month. Now, it's up to 5.5 tonnes a month. They're being well-used."

The partnership has also been good for creating awareness, Dick says.

"I think a lot of people, historically, didn’t realize textiles could be recycled."

When asked about how much of the textiles go into the garbage because of contamination (for example, broken glass), Dick didn't have numbers specific to Kamloops but did say about five per cent of what Diabetes Canada collects across the board goes to the landfill.

Dick notes the program shut down in March, April and May due to COVID-19. She says the city did use one staff member to keep the sites clean.