According to the U.S. EPA, 16.2 million tons of textiles were disposed of in 2014, or about 6.5 percent of total municipal solid waste. Textiles refers to any type of fabric, including clothing, shoes, accessories, and linens such as sheets, blankets, pillows, towels and curtains. Almost allof this material could be reused or recycled, preventing it from ending up in landfills.
Even though,textiles cannot go in your recycling bin, they can be brought to retail and drop-off locations, in good or bad condition, to be either reused or recycled. Almost all kinds of textiles can be reused or recycled — clothing, shoes, handbags, bedding, table linens, stuffed animals, pet beds, holiday costumes and more.
Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers, and Big Brothers Big Sisters (Hartspring Foundation) take textiles in any condition (they will recycle what can’t be reused), although they should be clean and dry. Salvation Army and Hartspring Foundation pick up donations if you call to schedule. Textiles in any condition can also be left in donation boxes.
Generally, 45 percent of donated textiles are reused, 30 percent are cut up to use as industrial rags and polishers, 20 percent are recycled into fiber to use as furniture stuffing, carpet padding, home insulation and other uses, and 5 percent are unusable and discarded. Most stores and organizations sell reused clothing, although a few organizations actually donate it. Some reused clothing is sold locally or regionally, and some clothing is sold in developing countries, particularly in Africa.
Read the full story at https://www.gazettenet.com/Reusing-and-Recycling-Textiles-19285845.