We have all heard and seen the “reduce, reuse, recycle” logo, but did you know it also applies to worn or torn clothing, shoes and other household textiles? According to the Council for Textile Recycling (weardonaterecycle.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the average U.S. citizen disposes of approximately 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles each year, and almost all of it can be recycled!

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the textile recycling industry recycles about 3.8 billion pounds of textile waste each year, but this only accounts for 15 percent of all textile waste. The other 85 percent ends up in landfills. Textile waste uses about 5 percent of all landfill space, which is both expensive and quickly diminishing.

Since the mid-1940s, charities and the textile recycling industry have repurposed and recycled billions of pounds of clothing, household textiles, shoes and accessories. Did you realize that one pair of shoes weighs about 1 pound? So do three T-shirts, a bed sheet, a dress, several items of children’s clothing, even a backpack. Belts, purses, stuffed animals and sneakers are also able to be recycled.

Locally, we have been recycling plastic, aluminum and metals and cardboard for years, it almost seems second nature to many. Now we need to consider the value in recycling unwanted clothing and household textiles. There are various opportunities to recycle textiles; we just have to look. Both for-profit and nonprofit organizations will accept textiles. What is placed in the bins is sorted and can be resold or sent to developing countries.

Items that cannot be reused in their original form because they are ripped or stained can be repurposed into industrial rags, insulation, stuffing for upholstery, carpet padding and sometimes paper products. According to CRT, 45 percent of the collected textiles are exported to other countries as secondhand clothing, 30 percent is recycled and turned into wiping rags that are used in industrial settings and as absorbents, 20 percent is recycled into fibers used to make insulation, carpet padding and materials used by the automotive industry, and the remaining 5 percent is waste.

Textiles that find their way into landfills, even those made with natural fibers, do not degrade under landfill conditions because there is no oxygen and sunlight to aid in the decomposition process.

According to the CRT website, in 1999, 18.2 billion pounds of waste textiles were generated and landfilled. This increased to 25.5 billion pounds in 2009. It is estimated that over 35 billion pounds will be generated by next year. Between 1999 and 2009, the increase in weight of waste textiles was 40 percent, yet only 2 percent was being recycled and diverted from landfills.

For these reasons, the Council for Textile Recycling is working toward a goal of zero textile waste going to landfills by 2037, and they need our help. They are working on a public service announcement with a simple message of “Wear. Donate. Recycle.” along with other steps to achieve this aggressive goal.

You can start to make a difference by collecting your clean and dry textiles for recycling and bringing them Saturday, June 2, to the Electronics Plus Recycling Event at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, where the Rescue Mission will be on hand to accept your donation. The event begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 1 p.m., rain or shine. Be sure to pair shoes by tying them together, as well as pairing socks and other items that can and should be paired.

To read the full story, visit https://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/eco-talk-why-clothes-should-be-recycled-too/article_31daf613-d9aa-50be-959b-24112e5bfb31.html.

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