January 21, 2019
In its ongoing effort to prevent injuries or death associated with misuse or trying to enter its clothing donation bins, Diabetes Canada has completed its national initiative to modify and retrofit its approximately 4,000 bins located across Canada.
While no harm has come to anyone using Diabetes Canada clothing donation bins as intended, the organization acted quickly and worked with its bin designer and manufacturer to come up with developed safety measures and to initiate a national retrofit of all its bins in response to recent incidents involving individuals trying to enter clothing donation bins.
Rangeview Fabrications and its manufacturing technicians participated in making the Diabetes Canada bin modifications. They have assured the organization that these modifications, which remove the pinch points and entry constraints of the bins, eliminate the possibility of someone getting stuck or caught while trying to enter its bins.
Additional actions that Diabetes Canada has taken include making sure that signs with text and visual direction warning of the dangers of attempted entry or misuse are adhered to all Diabetes Canada clothing donation bins.
With the understanding that the donation bin modifications should prevent injury to those trying to enter, Diabetes Canada is asking municipalities to consider the tested and reliable safety modifications made by the charity when considering future licensing or permits of its clothing donation bins. Nearly 25 per cent of Diabetes Canada’s total revenues are raised through its clothing donation bins or home pickup service of clothing and small household items.
Diabetes Canada is also encouraging Canadians to continue to recycle their clothing or goods to the organization through its newly modified bins or through its home pick up service. Millions of Canadians with diabetes or prediabetes, including children attending Diabetes Canada summer camps, rely on funding generated through the organization’s textile diversion operations. Funds raised also provide essential funding for diabetes research and advocacy activities and resources for health-care professionals.
Additionally, the program diverts more than 100 million pounds of clothing and household items from landfill sites across Canada. This translates into savings of one billion kWh of energy, equivalent to removing more than 212,000 cars from roads, protective more than 7,200 mature trees, conserving nearly 168, 000 litres of water, and reducing our carbon footprint by 280 million pounds of CO2.
Those who wish to donate can visit Declutter to find a newly modified clothing donation bin near you or to schedule a home pickup.
About Diabetes Canada
Diabetes Canada is the registered national charitable organization that is making the invisible epidemic of diabetes visible and urgent. Diabetes Canada partners with Canadians to End Diabetes through:
- Resources for health-care professionals on best practices to care for people with diabetes;
- Advocacy to governments, schools and workplaces; and
- Funding world-leading Canadian research to improve treatments and find a cure
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For more information:
Kathleen Powderley
Media Relations
Diabetes Canada
C: 416-803-5597
Kathleen.Powderley@diabetes.ca