If it’s anything like last year, the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society is hoping for a big turnout at its annual waste wise clothing swap.
Communication coordinator Brianna van de Wijngaard said they had close to 100 people come through their first swap last year.
“People really liked it and even this year they’re super excited about it. I’m mean people have hosted them, even myself among friends but this is a nice way to,” she said. “Some people can’t manage to do it themselves at their own homes, so it’s a nice way to open people up to the idea and maybe they’ll start doing them among their social circles”.
van de Wijngaard said one fact about textile waste is we don’t have a great system for recycling textiles. She said up to 85-percent still end up in landfills which equates to about 37-kilograms per person, per year.
“So there is a large amount that does play a significant role in our waste stream”, she said, “Our objective is to educate on and reduce the textile waste and also the environmental conditions that come with producing textiles. They use a lot of water and create a lot of pollution”.
van de Wijngaard added people spend around $3,500 a year on clothing.
The Clothing Swap runs Wednesday, Jan 29 from 3 pm until 8 pm at the Central Cariboo Arts Centre in Williams Lake.