New York To Set Up Clothes Recycling Program

A couple of weeks ago my neighbor was complaining that she spilt bleach on a piece of clothing and Threw It Away!” Poor woman, she got an earful from me. Apparently she did not know that Goodwill will take all clothing (ie. rags) in which they resell for other purposes.

But it kills me that people throw away rags and clothing, when most of this world has only 1 garment to wear! We Americans are so spoiled!

New York, a major garment center, will again take the initiative and start to recycle clothes and textiles. The plan is to install 50 bins for clothing collection throughout the most densely populated parts of the city. They will be taking everything from rags to clothes.

The cost will be offset by whichever company get the contract, i.e. Goodwill, who either resells the garments to poor countries or resells for reuse in mattresses and sofas.

I Just Gotta Tell Ya

• The EPA estimates that 190,000 tons of textiles are thrown away in New York homes every year.
• Americans chuck nearly 10 pounds of “socks, jeans, shirts and sheets per year, per person,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Per a survey of 600 adults by Goodwill Industries, “more than half of the people who donate clothing say they wouldn’t go more than 10 minutes out of their way to make a donation,” so clearly convenience is important.