Spring cleaning… but nowhere to take your donations? This is the situation many of us are finding ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. In other crises like floods or fires, people want to do, to give, but now the most helpful thing to do is to be patient and hang on to your stuff just a little bit longer!

While spring cleaning and organizing the house, set aside some old shoeboxes or containers organized for the right disposal options, and save these links for future reference:

Textiles

Textile recycling bins are an easy way to dispose of textiles like your old clothes, shoes, and belts. Be sure to check beforehand what items are accepted. For instance, Clothing for a Cause accepts even damaged textiles. 

Many of these bins are temporarily closed due to the pandemic so hang on to your donations until they’re open again, and be sure to check the Recycling Council of Alberta’s recycling hotline for where to go.

Hazardous waste

Dangerous waste like paints, aerosol containers, bear spray, and even nail polish need to be disposed of in a special way, so don’t put them in your regular garbage. For a full list of where to drop these off, check out this page.

Electronics

Electronics recycling is so important as there are valuable precious metals inside these items that can be reused. Many electronics can be taken to depots at retailers like London Drugs and Best Buy, where some appliances can be taken to the landfills. The City of Calgary hosts a full list of these locations but be sure to check hours as COVID-19 has impacted some stores.

~Andrea