A Tibetan girl in Ganzi, Sichuan province, smiles after receiving donated winter clothes. [Photo/Xinhua]

Recycling project hopes to donate 650,000 items including winter coats to the needy

The Western Warm Plan, China's largest second-hand clothes recycling project, has opened another 15 item-receiving sites in Beijing, and is looking particularly for more winter coats this year, as the mercury starts to drop across the country.

The project has 107 receiving points nationally, where people can drop off donated clothing.

Nearly 55,000 volunteers have taken part in the project since it was launched nine years ago, with volunteers working throughout communities and universities in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, Yantai, Shandong province, and Dalian, Liaoning province. Donators are given certificates when they hand over items.

The initiative was started in 2006 by Lanhuacao Art Foundation, under China Youth Development Foundation and Qianxun Affection Charity Foundation, with the aim of helping vulnerable groups in western regions of the country.

"We expect to be given 650,000 pieces of clothing this year and we already have received 450,000," said Zhang Shijie, the secretary-general of Lanhuacao Art Foundation.

"The first batch of 100,000 items of clothing has already been sent to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and a second batch is about to leave for Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture and Yushu Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Qinghai province," said Zhang at an award ceremony organized by Beijing Jingdu Weiwei International Beauty Chain Co Ltd.

Among the new sites, 11 are situated within Jingdu Weiwei stores - a retailer which specializes in face and body care treatments and products. The company's employees will help collect, receive and tidy the used clothes.

Zhang said it can be a complex process getting the items of clothing to their final recipients.

They have to be registered, and then sent to warehouses, where they are sorted, graded, washed, disinfected and packed. The donations are then transported to some of the country's poorest and most remote areas.

Qi Yali, the founder and president of Jingdu Weiwei, encouraged more companies to get involved in the initiative.

"Jingdu Weiwei is already handling a number of the operational aspects of this and other public welfare activities," said Qi.

According to its Sina Weibo site, so far the Western Warm Plan has sent more than 1.6 million pieces of clothing to 122 poor villages in nine provinces and autonomous regions.

According to data released by China Association of Circular Economy, 26 million tons of used clothing was thrown away last year, which is causing a mounting environmental problem.

Zhang said as living standards improve, clothes are also becoming outdated quickly, and more families should be encouraged to have regular clear-outs, and give away what they do not want.

There are 70.17 million people in China who live below the poverty line, many in remote areas where it is difficult to find a steady supply of warm winter clothing, Zhang said.

                                                                                                                                                  Editor: Lily Li