FOLLOWINGÂ the death of a woman in July 2018 who became trapped in a clothing donation bin, the City of Vancouver reached out to all donation bin operators in Vancouver and determined that the public safety risk could not be adequately mitigated. As a result, the City asked all operators to remove donation bins from street right-of-ways (SROW) by November 30, 2018.
To date, of the over 100 bins previously located on SROW, about 90 per cent have been removed. Any remaining bins will be removed in early 2019.
At the request of the Vancouver Park Board, bin operators have also removed bins at West Point Grey Community Centre, Kensington Community Centre, Vancouver Aquatic Centre and from inside all Park Board facilities. The Vancouver School Board has also ordered removal of bins that fall on school board property. Donation bins on private property will be reviewed in early 2019.
Donation bins continue to be located in supervised areas of the City’s Zero Waste Centre and Landfill Residential Drop-off Area. The City says it recognizes the value used clothing donations provide to those in need and to local charities.
The following alternative options are available to donate used clothing.
Drop off alternatives
- City of Vancouver’s new Zero Waste Centre located at 8588 Yukon Street.
| Hours of Operation:
|
|
| Monday to Saturday | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Sunday | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| All other statutory holidays unless otherwise noted | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
- City of Vancouver’s Landfill and Recycling Depot located at 5400 72nd Avenue in Delta
| Hours of Operation:
|
|
| Monday to Friday | 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Saturday and Sunday | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| All other statutory holidays unless otherwise noted | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| *Closed on Christmas and New Year’s day |  |
Both locations listed above are supervised and accessible to the public only during open hours.
- Zero Waste Drop-off events hosted by the City and held throughout the year to collect used clothing and other materials.
- Donations can also be made by dropping of clothing at thrift and consignment stores, homeless shelters as well as by calling charities that provide home pick-ups.
For a complete list of options of where you can drop off used clothing, search for “clothing” in the VanCollect mobile app or on the City’s Waste Wizard website.
Clothing provider services
To find an organization that provides free clothing, check out this list and map of clothing providers.
