This is the first of a four-part investigative series by CTV W5 into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry. W5 correspondent and producer Joseph Loiero put a spotlight on how some of the clothes Canadians donate to charity end up in markets in Africa.
It鈥檚 a charitable act that many of us don鈥檛 think twice about: giving away old clothes and other items to clothing donation bins that seem to pop up at strip malls, near schools, and throughout urban areas in Canada.
And while many bins are connected to the charities who provide those items to needy Canadians, a W5 investigation has shown that many are not.
Using trackers tied to donated items, the investigation tied some apparently charitable bins or bins aimed to support local needy people to for-profit players that took some of our clothes more than 7,400 km away to Tunisia, in Northern Africa.
A clothing bin in January 2024 sporting a Canadian Community Support Foundation (CCSF) logo and Canada Revenue Agency charity number. A W5 investigation found the CCSF had their charitable status revoked in 2018 after an audit (CTV W5)
Those players appear to be competing for the surprisingly lucrative global used clothing market, whose Canadian contribution is worth upwards of $180 million a year.
Our investigation showed that money has attracted figures who have sometimes stolen clothing bins, used deceit or cover of darkness to set up their bins in prized locations against the will of local governments, and even used threats or violence against their rivals or government staff.
鈥淚 think that I鈥檓 putting money in a clothing bin and it鈥檚 going to help a homeless person. You need to maybe have a cold shower and take a reality check,鈥 said Kate Bahen of Charity Intelligence, a Canadian organization that researches and grades more than 800 charities across the country.
鈥淭hose are private businesses. Those are private contracts. And that information is not available to the public. Which leads to the question, what鈥檚 going on and who are the actors in this business?鈥 she asked.
To get to the bottom of that, W5 set up an unusual trap 鈥 with clothing as the bait.
W5鈥檚 Jon Woodward concealed GPS tracking devices inside toys and clothing then planted them inside clothing bins across the Greater Toronto Area in January 2024, tracking several of them to Africa (CTV W5 / Chris Gargus)
We sewed nine trackers into the pockets of jackets, pants and even into stuffed animals, and placed them in clothing donation bins throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
One bin said clothes inside would be redistributed to 鈥渢hose directly in need throughout the Greater Toronto Area.鈥 The tracker inside did end up in a Toronto-area home, but only after it was sold at a thrift store.
Another bin bore the promise that a donation could 鈥渕ake a child鈥檚 dream come true.鈥 The tracker we put inside that one ended up at a store where rags from recycled clothes are sold in bulk.
Two of our items were tracked to an industrial yard just north of Toronto next to a rail line, with baled clothes ready for transport.
And over 10 months, four other trackers inside children鈥檚 toys and used clothes went on an even more remarkable journey.
A coat W5 tracked from a donation bin in Markham, Ont. travelled to Montreal, across the Atlantic to Genoa, Italy before arriving at a clothing wholesaler in Kairouan, Tunisia (CTV W5)
One tracker made its way to Montreal, across the Atlantic to the Italian port town of Genoa, then down to Africa.
That's where it joined three other trackers, 7,400 km away from where they began, in the North African country of Tunisia.
Toys and clothing W5 stuffed with GPS tracking devices and placed in clothing bins ended up scattered throughout the Greater Toronto Area and 7,400 km in Tunisia, Africa (CTV W5)
One of those trackers that made it to Tunisia was put in a bin that was labelled as "used clothing in support of local charities."
We tracked two to the Tunisian city of Kairouan, to a marketplace where a shopkeeper told us he purchases clothes from North America and Europe in bundles without knowing what鈥檚 inside.
鈥淲e sell in markets what is fit to be sold, and the rest we distribute,鈥 he said.
Clothing market in Kairouan, Tunisia in October 2024. Two items of clothing outfitted with GPS trackers W5 placed in donation bins in the Greater Toronto Area were followed to clothing wholesalers there (W5 / Romdan Selimi)
Another tracker ended up at a state-owned clothing warehouse south of the city of Sidi Bouzid. A worker there said Canadian clothes are commonplace, along with Italy, France and Slovenia.
As if to underscore the point, the worker was wearing a hat with a Canadian flag, and the logo of an Ontario company.
鈥淎 shipping container arrives, typically containing 400 kg of second-hand clothing,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially waste from Western countries.鈥
None of this is foreign aid, and the customers at those markets are not getting these clothes for free.
But Tunisian politician Mohamed Adel Al Hantati told us while some clothes are sold 鈥 much of it ends up as trash.
鈥淢ost of these textiles currently end up in landfills or estuaries as waste,鈥 he said.
鈥淎 significant portion of textile waste still ends up in waterways,鈥 he said. 鈥淧olyester is a catastrophe.鈥
In the 1990s, Tunisia introduced regulations to manage the import of second-hand clothing, but over time those rules have been eased, leaving traders with questions about what to do with large volumes of unsold clothes, he said.
The clothes from Canadian donation bins are part of a massive global export business. Last year alone, records from Global Affairs Canada show Canadian exporters shipped $181 million in used clothing overseas.
Much of the activity from the bins we investigated takes potential donations away from legitimate charities that raise money through bin donations, such as the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
A man wearing a Montreal Canadiens hat at a clothing market in Kairouan, Tunisia in October, 2024. Canada exported $181 million of used clothing overseas in 2023 (W5 / Romdan Selimi)
Charity Intelligence provides some tips about how to make sure your donation is going to a worthy cause, including looking up the charity on the bin with the Canada Revenue Agency, and doing that research in advance.
Near one bin outside a Toronto apartment building, W5 caught up with one Toronto resident, Alley Harnum, who says she donates clothes there around three times a year.
She said she hopes her clothes go 鈥渄efinitely to people that need it. 100 per cent to people that need it.鈥
When we told her the results of our tracking, she said she would work harder to find a bin that was tied to a reputable charity.
鈥淔or profit? I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 right. Sorry. We鈥檙e donating to give it to people that need it,鈥 Harnum said.
For tips on donation bins or any other story, please email Jon Woodward or call 416 859 8617
Watch CTV National News with Omar Sachedina at 11 p.m. to watch part one of W5's four-part investigation
Some businesses paid a ransom of more than $500,000 after a cyberattack last year, new Statistics Canada data revealed.
麻豆影视 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.
The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.
A manufacturer in Saskatchewan is looking to set a new record by building the world's longest trampoline.
The investigation into the sudden death of a 19-year-old Walmart employee over the weekend is ongoing in Halifax.
Two men charged in the killing of former Air India bombing suspect Ripudaman Singh Malik have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a British Columbia court.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to 'returning to politics' should the position of Liberal leader become available.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
Daily life in Cuba has been largely affected since an outage led to a nationwide blackout in the country, followed by Tropical Storm Oscar hitting the country's east coast. If you're a Canadian stuck in Cuba through this ordeal, 麻豆影视 wants to hear from you.
A wave rolled through Surrey on Saturday, nearly painting the town blue, as B.C. Conservatives are leading or elected in seven of the ten provincial ridings in the city.
Vancouver firefighters have contained what they describe as a multi-unit, multi-floor blaze at a high-rise in the city's West End
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn鈥檛 have had to pay.
City staff say they have entered into an "urgent" non-competitive contract to replace thousands of failing water metres which are clunking out earlier than expected 鈥 and more failures are anticipated.
The family of a man who died following a fight during a break-in at his Mississauga home earlier this month is appealing to anyone with information to contact authorities.
A student advocacy group to prevent youth nicotine addiction says it wants the Alberta and federal governments to place a ban on all fruity and sweet vape juices.
Police now say a deadly shooting Friday evening in northeast Calgary is linked to organized crime. According to police, about a quarter of the year's total shootings are.
Three people were sent to hospital following a crash on Peigan Trail Monday morning.
A cat rescue southwest of Ottawa is under investigation after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records have surfaced.
As federal employees head into the office three days a week under the federal government's new hybrid work model, the City of Ottawa is only requiring its hybrid employees to be in the office a minimum of two days a week.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the City of Ottawa is taking a "couple of important steps" to reduce heavy truck traffic in the village of Manotick, including banning transport trucks on a section of Manotick Main Street immediately.
The Jacques Cartier Bridge was closed to traffic in both directions on Tuesday morning due to the presence of demonstrators who climbed the structure.
A Quebec-based religion says Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.
A 23-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after being shot while lying in her bed in Repentigny, Que. on Friday night.
Two people needed to be pulled from a vehicle following a crash in northeast Edmonton Sunday evening.
Edmonton Public Schools support workers will go on strike on Thursday.
An Edmonton tattoo artist is competing for the top prize in the new season of Ink Master.
麻豆影视 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.
For the first time in 14 years, Blaine Higgs does not have a seat in the New Brunswick legislature.
The investigation into the sudden death of a 19-year-old Walmart employee over the weekend is ongoing in Halifax.
Almost half of the Winnipeg鈥檚 construction projects are either done or substantially done, according to the city.
A community in southeastern Manitoba is asking for help as it鈥檚 trying to restore a historic church.
New data is revealing the good, the bad and the ugly of artificial intelligence in schools.
The NDP appears to have some momentum in Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial election campaign with less than a week until votes are tallied.
The debate between Sask Party Leader Scott Moe and NDP Leader Carla Beck touched on many key issues of this year鈥檚 election. However, one issue not in the spotlight was Indigenous issues and the province鈥檚 relationship with First Nations.
Voting for the 2024 Saskatchewan provincial election is set to begin 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
A 36-year-old Cambridge man was arrested on Monday after guns were stolen from a vehicle in Cambridge, according to Waterloo Regional Police.
Testimony continued Monday at the trial of Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder of his grandmother, Viola Erb.
Victims are sharing the lasting impact of the 2023 triple stabbing at the University of Waterloo. The attacker, Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, previously pled guilty to four assault-related charges.
A Saskatoon man is taking his love of card games to new depths 鈥 six feet under, to be exact.
A Saskatoon LGBTQ+ advocate says if the Saskatchewan Party's proposed change room policy had been in place when he was a kid, he would not have survived high school.
The RCMP says a 32-year-old Saskatchewan woman has been charged with criminal negligence and impaired driving after causing a fatal collision in the wrong lane of Highway 11.
It鈥檚 a story of survival and perseverance. A Chihuahua and terrier mix named Diamondhas been reunited with her owners after going missing in Markstay-Warren in March.
An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.
Sudbury's Matthew Klug who has been homeless for six months, says he was ordered by bylaw to tear down a structure he built beside his tent.
"Infestations have been proven to negatively impact one's mental health,鈥 proposals put forward to address bug infestations.
Too many cars, and not enough driveway parking. It鈥檚 becoming a major problem in cities seeing an increase multi-generational homes, and greater residential density.
The glorious stretch of gorgeous fall weather continues鈥 but it will not last.
Police charged a motorist after a vehicle crashed into a home in Innisfil Monday afternoon.
The longest-serving mayor in Orillia鈥檚 history passed away on Friday. He was 85.
It's a summer-like day in mid-October, with temperatures hitting 24C across Simcoe County, feeling more like 27C with the humidex. These daytime highs aren't unheard of, but they are definitely not the norm.
The Pickleplex Social Club hopes to open it鈥檚 doors to the public at a location on Lauzon Road early in 2025 at the Eastown Plaza.
The Windsor Liberation Zone organizers are pleased that the University of Windsor will not reconsider two agreements made with pro-Palestinian protestors. The agreements were signed after a nine-week occupation.
The running community is mourning the death of a runner following the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
A school in Victoria, B.C., went into lockdown Monday before police tasered and arrested a man in the library, according to authorities.
Two people have been arrested and one is still at large in the alleged murder of a woman on Vancouver Island whose 2023 overdose death police treated as suspicious.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
Lethbridge police are advising the public of officer training on Tuesday that will happen in two different venues throughout the day.
Calgary scored three times in the first, and three times in the third as the Hitmen defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-1 Saturday at the Saddledome.
The last students to graduate from Lethbridge College will make history this weekend as they cross the stage at fall convocation.
Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.
An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.
The owners of 73 vacant properties in the Sault have been fined for violations of the city's vacant properties bylaw, including 33 owned by a firm going through a high-profile insolvency process.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
A Newfoundland scientist known for identifying a gelatinous, rancid mass that washed up on the island's shores decades ago is hoping to get his hands on a slice of the strange white globs appearing on the province's beaches.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to 'returning to politics' should the position of Liberal leader become available.
Liberal MP Sean Casey is the first to publicly confirm that he has signed a letter calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign, arguing it would be in the best interests of the country to let someone else take the reins.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun 鈥 a dual Canada-United States citizen and the target of an alleged assassination attempt in New York City last year 鈥 says the expelled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, is 'less of a diplomat, and more of a hypocrite.'
A U.S.-based food manufacturer that supplies frozen waffles to major grocery chains across North America has launched a voluntary recall over concerns its products carry the potential for illness.
The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.
A Quebec-based religion says Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.
In the fight against cyber attackers, they reason AI can help just as much as it harms.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Newfoundland scientist known for identifying a gelatinous, rancid mass that washed up on the island's shores decades ago is hoping to get his hands on a slice of the strange white globs appearing on the province's beaches.
Seven new lawsuits have been filed against Sean 鈥楧iddy鈥 Combs, including one alleging the rape of a 13-year-old girl. They come as his lawyers tried again Monday to get him freed on bail, and complained that a 鈥渇resh wave of publicity鈥 is endangering his right to a fair criminal trial.
Jennifer Lawrence will soon be a mom of two. The Oscar-winning actress is pregnant with her second child, a representative for Lawrence told Vogue on Sunday.
London鈥檚 Hyde Park was one of the several sites around the world this weekend for an outpouring of love, grief and recollection in honor of Liam Payne, the former One Direction boy band member who tragically fell to his death at a hotel in Buenos Aires last week at the age of 31.
Nearly six months after its opening, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is boosting Canada's energy sector as promised 鈥 but questions still linger about who will pay for the project's massive cost overruns.
A Waterloo, Ont. tech company says it鈥檚 been removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce鈥檚 entity list, after previously supplying technology allegedly used for mass surveillance and censorship.
High grocery and rental costs are squeezing lower-income Canadians even as inflation trends downward, a new survey suggests.
A manufacturer in Saskatchewan is looking to set a new record by building the world's longest trampoline.
Summer might be the most popular season for tourism to Europe, but it hardly promises a calm, cool and collected experience.
A Saskatoon man is taking his love of card games to new depths 鈥 six feet under, to be exact.
Tua Tagovailoa does not want to be the face of traumatic brain injuries in the NFL, but he knows that's the reality confronting him after his latest concussion.
A parliamentary committee will not question the coaches of the national women's soccer team about the Paris Olympics cheating scandal, after Liberal and Bloc Qu茅b茅cois MPs voted against launching a study today.
If LeBron James Sr. and his son, Bronny, make NBA history Tuesday night by playing in the same game for the Los Angeles Lakers, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. will be there to witness it.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.
Canada鈥檚 border guards have seized more than 1,900 stolen cars so far this year at railyards and ports, which is over a hundred more than in 2023.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
