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So What’s the Difference? Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose

January 29, 2020January 13, 2020

Last month, we posted a blog about the 5 R’s, an idea shared with us by David Rousse, of the International Nonwoven Disposables Association (INDA). In the process of creating that blog, we had to look deeper into what exactly the difference is between those keywords: reuse, recycle, and repurpose. These three terms can initially be confusing, so we thought it might be useful to dedicate an entire blog to discover the difference and help educate our recyclers in the many choices they have when it comes to choosing what to do with unwanted possessions.

Reuse

Merriam-Webster online defines “reuse” as “to use again especially in a different way or after reclaiming or reprocessing.” The second entry is “further, different, or repeated use.” There are many items capable of reuse. The first and most obvious is when you drop off old clothes and items at a resale store and they are bought and reused by customers. Hand-me-downs are reused clothing. Heirlooms are reused items passed down through a family generation by generation. You can reuse a knife after washing it, or reuse a baby toy with your next child.

Reuse is a very popular concept right now in building and remodeling homes. Reclaimed barn wood is sought after to add character to the flooring in homes and help reduce costs. Beams, barn doors, and other antiques can also be reused and given a second life by being added to a home through remodeling projects. Cabinets and dressers or bookshelves can be freshened up and reused with a new coat of stain or paint. There are many ways items can be reused with forethought and creativity.

Benefits

As shared by the ReUse Development Organization, “Reuse is a means to prevent solid waste from entering the landfill, improve our communities, and increase the material, educational and occupational wellbeing of our citizens by taking useful products discarded by those who no longer want them and providing them to those who do. In many cases, reuse supports local community and social programs while providing donating businesses with tax benefits and reduced disposal fees.” Also, reuse “reduces air, water and land pollution, [and] limits the need for new natural resources, such as timber, petroleum, fibers and other materials.” Read more about the benefits here.

Examples of Reuse

Resale stores

Hand-me-downs

Heirlooms

Reclaimed flooring

Antiques and other reclaimed pieces

Restained or painted cabinets and dressers

Recycle

Reflecting the many avenues recycling can take, the definitions Merriam-Webster gives for “recycle” are:

“To pass again through a series of changes or treatments: such as

To process (something, such as liquid body waste, glass or cans) in order to regain material for human use
To reuse or make (a substance) available for reuse for biological activities through natural processes of biochemical degradation or modification”

Another definition is “To adapt to a new use” which is the second of five included in this “recycle” entry. Several others had the word “reuse” in their definitions which can be confusing when trying to differentiate between recycling and reuse.

The way that ReUse People of America described the difference between recycle and reuse is that

“Reuse is any activity that lengthens the life of an item. Recycling is the reprocessing of an item into a new raw material.”

This differentiation really helps in clarifying these two words. To reuse an item is to leave it in its initial state and simply use it again or offer to someone else to use again in the same state. To recycle an item is to actually move it through some kind of process that changes its very being in order that it can be reused again.

When you place your recyclables out by the roadside each week, they will not be reused in their same state. They will be sent to undergo different processes to clean and change them into a new product that can be used again. Recycling uses energy and causes some pollution whereas reusing does neither of these things.

Benefits

The benefits of recycling are numerous. Recycling “reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators,” “saves energy,” and “conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals.” More benefits or advantages to recycling can be found here.

Examples of Recycle

Anything you would places in your recycling bin:

Plastic containers

Cardboard

Paper

Aluminum

Glass

Cartons

Or textiles into rags or fiber content

Repurpose

So where does repurpose fit with these other two terms? Again looking at Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the term “repurpose” is defined as “to give a new purpose or use to”. The Cambridge Dictionary online defines “repurpose” as “to find a new use for an idea, product, or building”. A slightly clearer definition found on this site is “to reuse the (waste) material in its original state, but to a different purpose.”

Whereas you would reuse a product for its original purpose in a new place or way, to repurpose would be to find a new purpose for an already existing material. It wouldn’t go through any kind of process as it would in recycling, but would simply find a new purpose than the original one. Pinterest is a great resource in looking for ways to repurpose.

Benefits

Similarly to reuse, repurpose keeps waste out of landfills and reduces land, water and air pollution. It inspires creativity and saves money by using already owned products instead of buying new products. Repurposing also limits the need for new natural resources such as timber, water and materials.

Examples of Repurpose

Hanging a carpet as a wall hanging

Using an old jar as a vase

Old TV into an aquarium

Sock into sock puppet

Picture frame into earring or bow holder

Clarity

We hope that by reading this post you have gained clarity and understanding around the differences between reuse, recycle and repurpose. The most effective tool in making an environmental difference for the future is in spreading awareness and education so that larger scale change can occur. Please share and spread the word about recycling, textile recycling and other avenues of cutting waste through reuse and repurpose (and reduce and refuse) to affect change in the world around you.

Programs

Where to Recycle Winter Wear

January 14, 2020January 13, 2020

The new year has arrived, and as you start to unpack all the accumulated gifts from their boxes and piles in a post-Holiday haze, take stock of new coats and scarves and hats and mittens and other wintry textiles you’ve received recently. As you unload the new, or the new to you, remember to clean out the old, the ill-fitting, the broken, the hole-y, and start a pile for the donation bin, or the resale store, but definitely not the trash can.

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we accept:

-coats

-jackets

-scarves

-hats

-mittens

The one wintry item we don’t accept is winter boots, but with all of these cold weather items, we encourage you to donate the gently used ones to local charities and organizations that help members of your community. And although we do accept these items, a large percentage of the items we receive are sent to individuals in warm-weather, developing countries so there is not a large need for these items. Because of this, we encourage you to first donate to those in need in our local communities and city that could reuse winter items to help keep themselves warm this winter.

“The Center for the Disease Control and Prevention reported that from 1999 to 2011, a total of 16,911 deaths in the United States, an average of 1,301 per year, were associated with exposure to excessive, natural cold.”

Why Donate? – Winter is a Time of Need

Many families and individuals in our country struggle year round with bills, rent, and many other needs. Winter compounds all of these by adding the physical need to stay warm, including clothing and heat for your home. Those who sleep outside in the cold have an even harder time as they “face the risk of dehydration, frostbite, and/or hypothermia.” When pulling together donations of winter-related items, whatever they may be, please take the time to reach out to those who could really use these items, such as coat drives and other places described below.

Another population in great need during winter is children.

“41% of all [American] children are living in low-income households.”

The struggle is more ongoing with children because they outgrow boots and coats and jackets so quickly. Children are constantly in need of larger sizes in coats, jackets, mittens and boots. With winter already presenting a strain on low-income families to simply keep the heat on, an easy way to help those families in need would be providing new and gently used coats and other cold weather items.

So the question is, “How can I help?” Here are a few local places you can send your winter item donations:

Where to Donate – Coat Drives and Resale Stores

Both resale stores and coat drives are great options for donating winter items. Although many coat drives are run during the final weeks of Autumn, some have longer periods of collection and would love to have your donations in the new year.

Coat Drives

Salvation Army Chicago Bears Coat Drive is running from November 11th to February 28th. Partnered by Jewel-Osco, Salvation Army, and the Chicago Bears, this coat drive accepts new and gently used coats in Chicago and its suburbs to give to those in need this Winter. You can drop off donations at any Jewel-Osco location in the Chicagoland area. Read here for more information.

Button & Zipper is another local charity that disperses new and gently used coats to local Chicago homeless adults and at-risk youth. There are numerous collection sites at different companies in the Chicagoland area and their collection runs until February 28th also. Read here for more information.

Other places you can donate wintry items such as coats, scarves, hats, mittens, and boots are local homeless shelters or women’s shelters.

Host Your Own Coat Drive

Know of an area in need of coats and other winter items and feeling inspired to make a difference in your own community? You can partner with One Warm Coat, a national non-profit in setting up your own Winter Clothing Drive. Simply choose a local nonprofit in need to donate the items you collect. Read more about the process here. One Warm Coat provides free tools and resources to advertise your winter clothing drive.

Resale Stores

Resale stores are another great option for donating the winter items you no longer need or use. Local resale stores that serve your local community are especially important to choose as donations then go back into serving members of your own community either through work with local nonprofits and charities or at least providing affordable clothing to community members. Many of our partner stores are great options for this very reason, so feel free to contact us for information about stores we work with that serve their communities.

Where to Donate…Winter Boots

Although Chicago Textile Recycling bins are unable to accept winter boots, most resale stores will take them and resell them in store. You can drop them off with other winter items and textiles, which will provide low income families with an inexpensive way to shop for the wintry season.

Care for Real is a Chicago-based organization that serves low income families and persons in Chicago. They are always accepting donations of food, clothing, and personal care items. Winter coats, hats, scarves, shoes and boots were all listed under items in need for the clients they serve. Read more here.

And lastly, another great option is to donate shoes and boots to Share Your Soles, a local nonprofit that accepts new and gently used shoes and boots to give to those in need. They have numerous locations in the Chicagoland area accepting donations. Their goal is to provide shoes to those in greatest need of them around the world. These shoes are given away to recipients who may have never owned a pair of shoes. You can read more of the story behind the organization here.

Spread Warmth this Winter

Regardless of which of these great places you choose to share your winter wear, always remember to donate textiles you no longer wear and do not throw them away. We can share some winter warmth with our fellow neighbors in this small, simple way and keep the spirit of giving on into the new year.

(If you know of other organizations accepting gently used winter textiles and boots, please reach out to us on our facebook page so we can help get the word out.)

Statistics found here and here

Recycling

5 Easy Recycling Resolutions for You this New Year

December 27, 2019January 13, 2020

In a few days we will celebrate New Years, and with each new year comes new resolutions to make positive changes in our lives. While brainstorming ideas on what you’d like to work on in your private and professional life, please consider these simple ideas that will further efforts made to keep textiles and other materials out of landfills and keep your home tidy too. As we mentioned in our last blog on the 5 R’s, “over 11 million tons of recyclable clothing, shoes, and textiles make their way into landfills each year.” If we all do our part in recycling our textiles and household goods, we can make a large difference in the care of our planet and its future. Here are five ideas to inspire and get you started or help you continue in your recycling journey…

1. Recycle Your Textiles

Though Spring hasn’t arrived, a big cleanout is not completely necessary to simply begin recycling textiles as they wear out or no longer fit. Recycling textiles is important because textiles occupy “about 5% of landfill space and the amount is growing.” (Read more here) “Consumers throw away shoes and clothing [versus recycle], an average of 70 pounds per person, annually.” This means we have a long way to go in our recycling goals and in helping the environment.

What You Can Do

The first and most basic step is choosing to start a pile for the donation bin or resale store rather than immediately filling the trash can with old textiles. Remember to donate ALL old textiles because those who sort your donation will know best as to what is recyclable and what can only end up in landfill.

Education about textile recycling is another step in solving this problem so spread the word in the workplace and in your personal relationships so we can move toward becoming a greener country.

For more info about bin locations for Chicago Textile Recycling, please contact us. Also, we are perpetually looking to expand our area with new bin locations, so if you know of a local business near you that could host a bin, please let us know!

Benefits

-Aid in keeping textiles out of landfills

-Sense of purpose in helping the environment

-Sharing newfound knowledge to aid in spreading awareness about the importance of textile recycling

-Gives others inexpensive buying options for their own closets

-Creates rags for numerous industries in their day to day cleaning needs

-Used as insulation/stuffing/sound-proofing/padding etc

2. Reduce Your Textiles

Another resolution you can make for 2020 is to reduce the amount of clothes you buy. Fast fashion is a large part of the problem why many textiles end up in landfills. Fashion companies are over-producing clothes to constantly offer new items for sale and using cheaper materials that give clothes a shorter shelf life. “One garbage truck of clothes is burned or sent to landfills every second! The average consumer bought 60 percent more clothes in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long.” Advertising constantly pushes consumers to buy these new clothes which also adds to the amount of clothes that consumers then throw out. Part of solving this issue is for the retailer to see their role in this problem and producing less, but the other part of solving it is for you as the consumer to send a message to retailers by buying less.

What You Can Do

The main step for this resolution is to create the goal of buying less textiles.

Another step to help you in this goal would be to go ahead and unsubscribe from retail store emails, cancel those retail credit cards, and limit the advertising you choose to view on tv and the internet.

Coinciding with the first resolution in reducing your textiles would be to clean out your closet and textiles in your home and recycle what you no longer need or want. If you think you may need to buy something new, instead take everything out of your closet and perhaps you will discover items that you forgot existed. Get creative! Look online at different fashion blogs, pinterest ideas, youtube videos using clothes you already have and get new ideas on ways to wear these items with other pieces you already own. You can create a whole new wardrobe with items you already have.

Benefits

– Gives you a better sense of what you have and what to wear

-Simply paying attention to what clothes are wearing out quickly can help you make more informed choices when buying clothes and being mindful about the importance of choosing quality clothes for the long-term over quantity.

-Creativity with your styling choices and ideas

-Dual benefits of saving money you can spend on other things, pay off debt, or save for future

-This leads to another possible resolution…

3. 30 Day, 30 Items Wardrobe Challenge

The third resolution is a 30 day, 30 items wardrobe challenge. There are numerous blogs about it and the benefit of being limited in your everyday options of what to wear. Blogger Emily Recker wrote about her experience here. Doing this challenge/making this resolution will help you discover what you own, what you need, and be more mindful of how many clothes you have. This challenge also helps in getting more creative, intentional, and easing the morning routine in drastically decreasing options in what to wear, which has been a positive experience for most people who have taken this challenge.

Emily shared that “the crazy part is—I didn’t feel frustrated or limited by this challenge–I felt freedom. I spent less time trying to figure out what I’d wear every day, less time picking clothes up off the floor (bye, clutter…hello calm), less time digging through drawers, and even less time folding laundry!” Doesn’t that sound dreamy: “less time folding laundry”? She went on to say she enjoyed the challenge, that the process was fun, and that she wanted to keep going after the 30 days were up.

What You Can Do

For Emily’s challenge, she chose to only include tops, bottoms and shoes in her 30 items, and to not count undergarments, pjs, and workout clothes, so it is up to you to decide what to include or exclude from your thirty.

Choose close to 30 items from your closet that are basic enough that they pair well together, and maybe one or two pieces that pop more or are busier if you enjoy more variety in patterns and color. Commit to wearing only these items for the next 30 days. Share that you are taking this challenge with others so that they can hold you accountable.

Place all of your other clothes in storage or simply push them to the back of your closet for the next 30 days. Who knows? Maybe these next 30 days will inspire you to find freedom in decluttering your closet even more.

I am an avid tiny house show watcher. I’ve always been fascinated by miniatures, and one of the things I hadn’t thought about before watching these shows was the amount of paring down one must do to move into a tiny house. This most definitely included your closet, so for tiny house homeowners, the 30 item challenge is not just a challenge; it’s a way of life. If you had to move into a tiny house, what would you take? What would you leave? Maybe one of your new year’s resolutions could be to take this challenge and see how it can change your way of thinking about clothes and textiles and how much you really need.

Benefits

-Have positive and refreshing experience learning more about clothes and how to pair them well

-Much easier to get dressed in the morning

-Less clutter, more calm

-Less time folding laundry

-Decluttering reduces stress

-Ready to move into a tiny house! 😉

4. Recycle More than Textiles

Though we are a textile recycling company, we are committed to recycling in general, which includes much more than textiles with items such as cardboard and paper, glass, aluminum, plastic and any other product that can have a second life. It is important to recycle all products that you can to keep landfill waste to a minimum, and help take care of our Earth.

What You Can Do

The first thing to learn when recycling is what should I recycle and how should I recycle it? Our local waste company, SWALCO has made this very easy by creating an informative flier with guidelines about which household items should go in recycling bins and other considerations such as cleaning containers and not bagging recyclables. Check out their flier here.

“In the United States, we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour – about 42,000 per minute, or about 695 per second.” This statistic doesn’t have to be the case. Recycle the bottles you do use, and when possible, take your own reusable water bottle with you. Airports and other high traffic places have added water bottle refill stations to the already existing water fountains to make it easy to have clean water in an environmentally-friendly bottle while you are traveling or out and about.

Benefits

-Do your part in taking care of the Earth

-Gain a sense of purpose in recycling responsibly

-Know that you are recycling the right things in the right way so that more doesn’t end up in landfills

-Become a part of a community that works toward helping the environment and creating a better future for our planet

5. One Step Further

For those of you who already recycle items at home and your textiles, your resolution might be to go one step further in helping the environment. As we’ve mentioned before in other blog posts, we urge you to not only recycle household items, but to go one step further in reducing your carbon footprint. There are always new ways we can change how we live to make a difference for our planet.

There are many ways to make simple lifestyle changes that can affect the environment for the better. Small changes build up to large differences, especially when you help spread the word so that others also make these small changes. The biggest difference you can make is doing your part in recycling and helping Chicago Textile Recycling spread the word about the importance of recycling for everyone.

What You Can Do

As you unsubscribe from retail store emails with advertising that begs you to buy more clothes and other products, also contact those companies and stores sending junk mail and other unwanted printed advertising mail. Recycle what does come in the mail because “the majority of the 4 million tons of junk mail that Americans receive annually ends up in landfills.” Another interesting fact is that “the energy used to create and distribute junk mail in the US for one day could heat 250,000 homes.” By doing small things, we can help to reduce this number.

As the major shopping holidays are now behind us, we should be aware that “while the United States celebrates the holidays, Americans produce an additional 5 million tons of waste (four million of the 5 million tons consisting of wrapping paper and shopping bags).” As we look toward the new year, let’s resolve to lessen that statistic dramatically. Take reusable bags with you as you shop, find creative ways to wrap such as tea towels, cleaned chip bags used inside out, wordsearch puzzle paper, or simply recycled and recyclable craft paper colored by you or your children.

Go paperless. Switch all of your bill paying to online. This will help you save money by no longer buying stamps but also save unnecessary use of paper, and save trees. “On average, Americans use 650 pounds of paper a year. Each.” Also, “U.S. businesses use around 21 million tons of paper every year.”

Benefits

-Decrease your carbon footprint

-Feel good about educating others on how to do the same

-Support tree life by doing what you can to decrease paper intake and output in your own home

-Becoming creative in present giving

-Inspire others who see you out and about with reusable bags

Looking Forward to the Year Ahead

The idea of a fresh start for a new year can be a very exciting and promising venture. Regardless of where you are on your recycling journey, there are always new ways of doing more and new ideas on becoming creative with what you already own. Chicago Textile Recycling is wishing each of you a wonderful new year in 2020 and will continue to encourage and challenge you through blogs, articles and idea posts to make small changes in your life so that all of us collectively can have a healthier planet for our future.

Recycling Statistics pulled from this website

Fashion Statistics pulled from this website

Green Benefits

The 5 R’s

December 17, 2019January 10, 2020

“Although 75% of America’s waste is recyclable, we only recycle around 30% of it.”

In September, the Vice President of our company attended the S.M.A.R.T. 2019 Regional Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. Over the course of the weekend, he attended a Panel Discussion with three leaders making a difference in the textile recycling world. One of these leaders was David Rousse, president of the International Nonwoven Disposables Association (INDA). During his presentation, David discussed plastics in the environment, the importance of recycling, and posted one salient powerpoint slide that takes the three R’s we are used to… Reuse, Reduce, Recycle…two steps further.

In his “Desired Path Forward” for the future of our planet and recycling, David calls for each of us to “Support the 5 R’s”:

Refuse – plastic bags, straws, cutlery, etc
Reduce – use of plastic in packaging
Reuse – versus disposing; may include repair
Recycle – into same or another product
Repurpose – use an item for something else

At Chicago Textile Recycling, we strongly encourage our recyclers to recycle their textiles, with us, or with their local resale store. And even further, we truly desire to see each of you go beyond recycling only textiles to eco-consciously disposing of all recyclables you come into contact with, from plastics to aluminum, cardboard and paper to anything that can be kept out of landfills by using one of these 5 R’s. “Over 11 million tons of recyclable clothing, shoes, and textiles make their way into landfills each year.” With “9 out of 10 people [saying] they would recycle if it were ‘easier,’” we at Chicago Textile Recycling hope with education about recycling and raising awareness, these numbers can change.

A few months ago, we encouraged this very idea through a blog post highlighting a few things CTR does not accept in their bins and how you can go about recycling those products in your area. Read that blog here.

Refuse – plastic bags, straws, cutlery, etc.

The first “R” David highlighted was to “Refuse” plastic bags, straws, cutlery, etc. When out and about, it is so easy to stop by a store and buy an item and simply accept a plastic bag upon purchasing that item. But David and those at INDA encourage us to refuse plastic bags. If it is something small, choose instead to carry the product(s) out of the store in your hand or purse after purchasing. Even better, place a few reusable grocery bags in your trunk, and put them back in there after unloading each time when you get home. That way, you are never in need of a plastic bag even if you’re simply making a quick stop on your way home from work.

Refuse straws and plastic cutlery by drinking with an open lid or also stocking your car with reusable straws and cutlery when out and about. Go one step further and bring your own reusable travel cup. These are small items that could even fit in your purse or backpack if you use alternative transportation getting around in daily life. Small efforts go a long way in helping reduce your carbon footprint. “According to a study done by the University of Georgia, 18 billion pounds of plastic trash winds up in our oceans each year. To put that in perspective, it’s enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic…compounding every year.”

Reduce – use of plastic in packaging

The second “R” is to “Reduce” the use of plastic in packaging. Recently, we posted an article about how parts of Asia are reducing packaging by grouping produce items with banana leaves instead of plastic bags. (Read more here) Part of this problem is improper disposal. “The United States throws away $11.4 billion worth of recyclable containers and packaging every year.” The other part of the problem is simply reducing the need for this packaging with creative solutions, such as banana leaves for produce. “The amount of plastic film and wrap produced annually could shrink-wrap the state of Texas.”

Some ideas from this website on reducing your plastic use include opting for products in recyclable boxes or cardboard containers rather than bottles, staying out of the frozen section of the grocery store and buying bulk with reusable containers.

Reuse – versus disposing; may include repair

In our consumer-driven society, we often choose to throw away something when it is in need of repair rather than taking time to mend it or have it mended. A hundred years ago, this was not the case. Most belongings were made with high quality and longevity in mind, so when they did break or need mending, there were shops in place or know how by the general public in fixing these items at home. Many women sewed the family’s clothes, so when there was a rip in the fabric or a hole in a sock, repairs were easy and done right at home.

This newer proliferation of consumerism and the ease it brings in replacing rather than repairing has led to an overabundance of items ending up in our landfills when they could have lasted longer with a bit of loving repair. Our third “R” is “Reuse” – versus disposing, which may include repair.

Learning the basics of sewing can help many of your textiles have a longer shelf life at home and making good use of youtube videos can also help in minor repairs of items around the house. With landfills reaching their limits, it is increasingly important that we seek out items that are made with high quality and return to the mindset of repair and restoration over replacement.

Reuse and DIY (Do-It-Yourself) is in fact an up and coming trend and has the potential to again become the norm. Bloggers, Youtube sensations, a peaked interest in DIY through the creation of Pinterest and small starter companies are pursuing this very idea of reuse in restoration through antiquing, restoring old homes with reclaimed barn flooring and original revamped antique pieces, reusing old clothes items in new ways with many other ideas of reuse in the everyday. As the focus on environment and recycling continues to grow, hopefully these interests of the upcoming generation will continue to expand the idea of reuse into the norm. The saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” rings true here as antiques and resale stores become a larger part of our consumer trend.

Recycle – into same or another product

The fourth “R” is “Recycle” – into the same or another product. Reuse and recycle are often confused terms so a simple explanation to differentiate the two is that reuse involves using the same product in its original form for the same or a different purpose. Recycling is a process and involves turning one product into a new product so as not to waste the material.

Recycling can involve numerous products, from cans to paper to textiles to plastic bottles, and much more. Some even make businesses out of collecting and creating art to sell with other people’s recycled goods. You can recycle paper down to pulp and create new paper or recycle blue jeans into insulation for homes. There are many ways that recycling companies have figured out how to create new products from older products with life still left in them.

As many of you know, the heart of who we are at Chicago Textile Recycling is about educating our community. Knowledge has been growing in the problem of textiles in landfills, and so has the pursuit of creating a closed loop of textiles and fashion. “Over 11 million tons of recyclable clothing, shoes and textiles make their way into landfills each year.” Donating your textiles to resale stores and donation bins is one big way you can give your textiles another life. The same is true of other goods in your home with regards to being recycled versus placed out by the curb on trash day.

Textiles can be recycled in almost every case, with the majority reused and resold in other countries. Other textiles are recycled and cut into wiping rags, and others are recycled and broken down into fibers to make filling for car seats, insulation and other products. Here is our blog about the process recycled textiles go through after donation.

Repurpose – use an item for something else

Already mentioned previously in this post is the fifth and final “R”: “Repurpose” your items for something else. There are many ways you can do this. Cutting an old coat down to a vest, using recyclables to make art, using old wood flooring to make picture frames or child size furniture, or turning old bed sheets into new clothes are just a few ways household items can be repurposed. Follow our page on Facebook or Twitter to read articles about different companies that are doing this very thing with textiles.

One example of this in our very own backyard is the Shedd Aquarium in downtown Chicago. Local artists have created sea animal sculptures outside the aquarium on display made from trash collected from our oceans. With a little bit of creativity, new purposes can be found for items anywhere you look.

wRap up

With a little extra effort, you can easily work these five R’s into your daily routine. Recycle textiles, bring along reusable bags and dining accessories, become educated in what to recycle and how to recycle it, and use a little bit of creativity when items in your everyday no longer serve their purpose. When each of us plays our small role in reducing our output to landfills, we can make a large difference in impacting our world for a better tomorrow.

All quote recycling statistics were found here.

Seasonal

Finding Peace in the Frenzy: A Spirit of Gratitude…

November 26, 2019January 10, 2020

Last year in 2018, “the period between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday generated 19.2% of the total holiday revenue. In total, that five-day period accounted for $24.2 billion in sales, a 23% increase as compared to 2017.” Worldwide, we spent “$998.32 billion” dollars on Holiday spending in 2018. (Read more here.)

During this very frenetic season of shopping and buying and giving, it can be hard to focus on living a life of gratitude for what we already have. The desire to constantly find the best product for the best price for that person on your Holiday list, or even a little something for yourself, can be exhausting, and can go head to head with the very eco-conscious decision to truly be content with what we have. This season, Chicago Textile Recycling challenges you, our reader, to try and pursue contentment where you are, and to pursue a sense of gratefulness for all that you already own. Further, we challenge you to pursue gratefulness for our Earth and the gifts it shares with us year round.

This will look different to each of you, but there are many ways you can pursue gratefulness amidst the hustle and bustle of the season and find peace in the frenzy. Here are suggestions for four ways that may help you focus and find gratitude this season:

Giving to Those in Need

For some of you, it may mean taking the focus off of yourself or things, and placing the focus elsewhere, such as giving time or money to low income schools, volunteering at a hospital or soup kitchen, or donating toys to one of the many organizations that help others in need, such as Toys for Tots, or Angel Tree. You may also know of someone in your neighborhood or at your workplace or school who is struggling and could use some help with the Holidays for their family.

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we purchase unusable items during the holiday season and year round. Two of the organizations we work with are Share our Spare and Cradles to Crayons in Chicago. We purchase items they receive as donations and cannot use or are in excess.

Share our Spare is a Chicago-based charity that serves families in need with diapers, clothes, and other baby and child necessities. They have open volunteer sessions on the calendar, or you can contact the organization to come volunteer as a family or group on your own. They also have an Amazon wishlist and accept gently used items for children and babies. They also accept donations that go toward purchasing items for families in need.

Similar to Share our Spare, Chicago Textile Recycling also works with the Chicago branch of Cradles to Crayons, a national organization serving families with children in need. Likewise, the organization accepts “like new” and new children’s clothing and necessities, monetary donations to buy said items, and volunteers either in your own neighborhood hosting drives to collect items, or at volunteer work stations at the Giving Factory in downtown Chicago. Another neat option they offer is sponsoring a KidPack for kids in need in Chicagoland. You can either pay for the total Kidpack or purchase items off the Amazon wishlist for each child. As these children’s Kidpacks are completed, new children in need pop up on the site.

Choosing Gifts with Purpose

For some of you, it may mean simply choosing to ignore fast fashion and products that you know are cheaply made in order to buy fewer but higher quality and longer lasting products for those you love. This Holiday season, try choosing eco-friendly products, or even recycled products as gifts for others this year could be a way of living eco-consciously and choosing gratitude for well-made products that help the Earth. “Today, the average consumer spends $1,226 on Holiday Gifts.” When you as the consumer are out (or in) buying holiday gifts, be mindful and make buying decisions that help and not harm the environment.

This could also mean making homemade gifts this year. From sugar scrubs to baked goods to crafts to painted textiles, there are thousands of homemade gift ideas, which are often appreciated even more as the recipient knows you spent time and love pouring into its creation.

Taking Stock and Gratefulness

For some of you it may simply mean finally cleaning out what you already own and taking a better calculation of what you have, so you can truly know what you need. A part of this is choosing to recycle textiles you no longer need to your local resale store or donation bin. Usually, when you realize how much you already own, it helps you appreciate what you have, and hold more gratefulness for your material things. Also, this often results in buying less stuff, which is definitely eco-friendly. Contact us for info about bin locations near you.

This too is a great way to give to those in need by donating your items to small local resale stores with charity partnerships or causes you believe in. At CTR, we work with over 40 local partner stores, the majority of which help to fund a small local nonprofit. By simply asking around or looking online, you can find your nearest resale store that offers help and hope to those in need in your area too.

Gratefulness for the World Around Us

And for some of you, it may not be about stuff, but about stepping back and breathing amid the chaos that can sometimes consume us this time of year. Take a look around at the gifts our planet shares with us. Take time to appreciate and enjoy the beautiful sunset, the white of the snow, the crispness of the fall chill, the stars in the sky, the cycle of the Earth as Autumn slowly turns to Winter and the trees and plants go into hibernation.

Make snow angels with your family, go sledding at the local park, take a wintry walk, and breathe in the fresh cold air as you look around and take in our beautiful planet.

Choose What is Important

Regardless of what gratitude and peace may look like for you this season, remember to slow down and enjoy the most important things. Surrounded by family and friends is a good place to be. Avoiding the Holiday crowds, the hustle and bustle and frenzy of lines can only make life a little sweeter and a little less stressed these next few weeks. Choosing gifts for others we can be proud of and stand behind, and choosing what matters most can only add to our joy as we seek gratitude and stillness in this Holiday season.

Green Benefits

November 15th: America Recycles Day

November 6, 2019January 10, 2020

Next Friday is America Recycles Day, “a nationally-recognized initiative dedicated to encouraging people to recycle.” The idea for America Recycles Day initially began in 1994 by two employees at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and was first celebrated as Texas Recycles Day. Three years later, these two employees presented their idea for America Recycles Day at the National Recycling Coalition Congress and it was “embraced immediately.” (Read more here) In 2010, the organization Keep America Beautiful took the helm of America Recycles Day.

Formed in 1953, Keep America Beautiful began as “a group of corporate and civic leaders [that] met in New York City to bring the public and private sectors together to develop and promote a national cleanliness ethic.” The organization has had many milestones since the beginning which you can read more about here. Keep America Beautiful has spent 60 years with the mission to “inspire and educate people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment.”Their three main objectives are to “End Littering,” “Improve Recycling,” and “Beautify Communities.”

The reason Chicago Textile Recycling celebrates America Recycles Day is because we believe not only in the importance of recycling textiles, but in the importance of recycling in totality. Our Earth will not be the same with millions of pounds of textiles in our landfill; it is not a sustainable way of life. But our Earth also will not be the same covered in litter and trash, with recycling contaminated and without people taking physical care of our world and cleaning it up.

You may have seen a few posts already of challenges you can take as America Recycles Day draws near, but hopefully through learning more in this blog, you will care more about the why, and experience a longer lasting desire to make changes in your lifestyle and care for our planet.

What Can I Do?

End Littering

The first main objective Keep America Beautiful has is to “End Littering.” On their website, you can find numerous resources and references about littering to educate yourself on what a huge issue we face when it comes to littering, and how you can help make a difference.

The organization shares that “Litter is costly to clean up, impacts our quality of life and economic development, and eventually ends up in our waterways and oceans.” One of the big programs they run in regards to the problem of littering is their “Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.” This program offers grants to provide communities with educational materials, ashtrays and ash receptacles to encourage the population to properly dispose of cigarettes. You can read more here. They also offer free resources for the general public that wants to become involved in spreading awareness about this part of the littering problem.

Improve Recycling

The second main objective (“Improve Recycling”) and probably easiest thing you can do to help is learning about what you should and should not recycle. Chicagoland and many cities make it easy to recycle by offering recycling bins at your home to fill and place outside for collection on trash day. All you need to know is what you can and cannot recycle so that the recycling doesn’t become contaminated by plastic bags, food, chemicals, or other substances. To find out what is and isn’t accepted, check out SWALCO’s recycling guidelines. One further step you can make with recycling is to “Take the Pledge” for America Recycles Day. Find out more about this on their website.

If you own items that you want to recycle, but are not recyclable according to the guidelines on the SWALCO website, check out their “Where Do I Recycle This?” page to look up exactly where to recycle the items you have.

For clothing and textiles, Chicago Textile Recycling partners with SWALCO in collecting donations. So find your closest CTR bin and donate old clothes and textiles to us! We will keep them out of landfills and see that they get put to great use!

Keep America Beautiful’s big event to reach their objective in improving recycling is “America Recycles Day.” Keep reading to find out more about events in your area to volunteer with for America Recycles Day.

Beautify Communities

The third main objective of Keep America Beautiful is to “Beautify Communities.” One of the big programs this organization runs to reach this objective is the “Great American Cleanup.” Much of this cleanup also ties in with their first objective to end littering as this event “began a litter cleanup initiative designed to aesthetically improve our environment by creating cleaner parks, streetscapes and public spaces through litter removal and elimination” and continues to prioritize this as “the very heart of the campaign.”

For the Great American Cleanup, there are also tree plantings, flower and community garden plantings, and community education that involves education about reducing, reusing, and recycling as well. To learn more about the Great American Cleanup, check out their website.

Attend an Event

To come back to the heart of this blog, which is truly about next Friday, America RecycIes Day, we want our readers to know ways you can get involved in your area.

Saturday, November 9th from 10-2 – Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie/Tyner Center at 2400 Compass Rd, Glenview – America Recycles Day

Glenview Park District is celebrating America Recycles Day with an event to spread awareness on how to increase your recycling habits at home and at work. Family activities and crafts are offered at this all ages event.

Saturday, November 16th from 1-4 – Anita Purves Nature Center at 1505 N Broadway Ave, Urbana – America Recycles Day & Creative Re-Use Competition

“Explore old and new ways to recycle household waste. There will be crafts, activities, information and MORE. Make your own creation from reused or repurposed materials at home before the event, and enter to win an award in the fifth annual Creative Reuse Competition. Try your hand at turning recycled fibers into beautiful pieces of paper during the Pulp to Paper between 1:30-2:30pm.”

Also, if you are feeling entrepreneurial, you can create your own event for America Recycles Day. Contact your local parks and rec and check out the America Recycles day website for ideas and accessing their toolkit to organize your own recycling awareness event.

Why Recycle?

So what is so important about recycling anyway? Why is there a need for America Recycles Day? Recycle Across America states that “recycling is the top action society can do to simultaneously improve: the environment, the economy, sustainable manufacturing and to prevent waste from going into oceans.” Although the “U.S. recycling levels are currently 21.4%,” these numbers have not improved in 20 years. The largest problem facing recycling is “public confusion” about what to recycle and how to recycle. With the help of Keep America Beautiful, America Recycles Day, SWALCO and our readers spreading the word about how to correctly recycle, we can be a part of the change in raising that number, reducing landfill waste and creating a healthier planet a little bit at a time.

Resale Stores

Orange, Black and Green: Choose Environmentally Conscious this Halloween

October 24, 2019January 10, 2020

One week from today those who celebrate the holiday will be out in their neighborhood (or a favorite spooky neighborhood) walking from door to door, ringing doorbells and shouting “Trick or Treat!” Kids will be excited and on sugar highs already, houses will be decorated, and children will be unrecognizable in donned costumes and alternative personas for one haunted evening of fun.

Where does Chicago Textile Recycling fit in this post about Halloween festivity? In our pursuit of encouraging each of you to recycle textiles, we also want to provide eco-friendly ideas whenever you need to purchase a new outfit, even if it is one to embrace your inner witch. Or ghost. Or superhero.

Shopping Creatively: Resale Stores and Your Closet

Shop Resale Stores

Resale stores are a great place to shop for Halloween inspiration. Our local Goodwill not only resells previously worn costumes for kids and adults, they also set up spots in their aisles with costume ideas that can be found in the regular clothes’ sections of their stores. In these spots, employees have pulled together items in the store to complete the look.

For instance, one spot had the idea of “Scarecrow,” gave simple directions on what to buy to to create the scarecrow costume, and had already pulled flannel shirts and overalls under the sign to look through and purchase. Add a straw hat, a few pieces of hay and some scarecrow looking makeup, and you are ready for Halloween!

Over the last six years, I have only purchased new costumes once or twice for my children, choosing instead to pull ideas from pinterest or buy secondhand from kids’ consignment and resale stores. By choosing to buy used, you are keeping perfectly good costumes out of the waste stream in landfills. Children’s costumes are the most prevalent option in resale stores, but there are adult costumes also, as well as ideas for pulling together costumes from what you already own or from the clothes’ racks of resale stores. An added bonus is that this option is always cheaper too!

Shop Your Closet

Your own closet is another great place to look for Halloween inspiration. It doesn’t take much to pull off a witch. When hosting a Halloween party with roommates a decade ago, I pulled a black dress, some orange and black striped socks, black tights and black boots together, borrowed an orange autumnal scarf from a classmate, and was left with only a witch hat to buy, which I found secondhand. Voila!

As noted above, there are other costume ideas that could be pulled from an already filled closet. A scarecrow would be simple with a flannel shirt and overalls. A zombie equally easy to create with some tattered dark clothes, or old clothes you could tatter yourself. Frankenstein would need a solid t-shirt, sports jacket, and a pair of slacks. With a small dose of creativity, and possibly a little pinterest inspiration, you can easily pull off many Halloween looks in the comfort of your own home.

Costume Ideas

Spider

Last year my son went as a spider for Halloween. I really couldn’t find many good premade spider costumes on the internet, so decided to check out pinterest and make one myself. I consider myself somewhat crafty but am definitely no sewing goddess, so this is not a hard one to make. It was simply a matter of looking for the pieces to make the whole.

He wanted to be a brown wolf spider, or something similar based on a Halloween decoration I purchased from our local Goodwill. Shopping around local thrift stores, I found a brown sweatshirt with an orange truck I was able to turn inside out, a pair of brown corduroy pants and a brown knitted hat. At the nearby craft store, I purchased an 8 pack of medium sized googly eyes and some brown ribbon. I then purchased two pairs of brown socks and a pair of brown gloves at our local Dollar Tree.

Following a look I found on Pinterest, I filled the two pairs of socks with plastic grocery bags, sewed them closed and onto the sides of the sweatshirt, and then hot glued ribbon to connect his two long sleeved arms to two socks on either side, with his legs creating eight legs total for the spider. A hot glue gun also helped with adhering the googly eyes to the front top of his knit hat, and he was an adorable spider that Halloween.

Farmer/Scarecrow

A farmer or scarecrow would be fairly similar in style. With a plaid flannel long-sleeved shirt, a pair of overalls and a straw hat, your basic look would be set. A pair of work boots could complete the look for a farmer, and some straw and makeup would turn you into a scarecrow.

Pirate

For a pirate, you will need a white shirt, black pants or cut offs, a red sash which could be an old t-shirt or pair of leggings and a sash or kerchief for your head. Or instead of a kerchief, a secondhand pirate hat or similar black hat would work well. A pirate sword could also be picked up secondhand, and you can choose to complete the look with an eyepatch. A black piece of felt with ribbon could suffice, or you can attempt to find an inexpensive one at a costume shop. Lastly, you can always add details like a parrot, or a vest made from an old shirt or sports coat.

Robot

If you have an excess of boxes lying around, and some dryer flex hose, a robot would be a fun and creative project to make for Halloween. Some paint is all you would need to add to make it your own.

Vampire

Do you already own a tuxedo? There is no better reason to pull it out of the depths of your closet than an evening of impersonating a vampire. Add a black cape made from an old sheet, or one found secondhand, some black hair spray (if your hair isn’t black), and the only new thing you really need is a pair of pointy teeth. I do not suggest buying those secondhand.

If you do not currently own a tux, a button down white shirt with black trousers would do the trick. And earn yourself a treat!

Many More Ideas

For inspiration, seek out your local resale store or type in “diy halloween costumes” on google or pinterest. There are so many easy and creative costumes you can make from already owned textiles and items in your home, and if you are feeling absolutely zero creativity in the craftiness department, there are many, many costumes and costume ideas at resale stores that involve simply reusing someone else’s costume from last year. Either way, you are doing your part in reducing waste, increasing the longevity of textiles, and recycling one person’s old costume (would be trash) into your new costume treasure.

Happy Halloween!

Recycling

Where to Recycle CTR’s Unacceptable Items

October 10, 2019January 9, 2020

Chicago Textile Recycling accepts numerous items through their donation bins around the Chicagoland area. However, there are some restrictions on what we accept. For a full list of acceptable and unacceptable items, click here. For those items that we are unfortunately unable to accept, we want to share some places and organizations that do accept these items, or ways you can reuse these items, so that you as the recycler are still informed about outlets for recycling your textiles.

Carpet

While we have posted before about Aquafil, a company based in Italy that has opened two carpet recycling plants in Arizona and California, they have not yet reached us as an option in the Midwest. However, there are a few other options in our area if you find yourself buying new carpet and want to help keep textiles out of landfills by recycling your old carpet.

Many companies that install new carpet offer removal options that drop off your old carpet and padding at a local recycling or reclamation facility. If the company doesn’t offer recycling as an option or you are installing it yourself, the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County provides a few options in the area, as well as encouraging donation to Freecycle or Habitat for Humanity Restores.

Either of these would be a great choice as it allows your carpet to be loved once again by someone who may not be able to afford new carpet. To donate to a Habitat for Humanity Restore, your old carpet is required to be clean and in good condition. There are several locations around Chicagoland (Addison, Gurnee, Elgin), so find the closest location and contact them for further info. The great benefit of donating to Habitat for Humanity is knowing your donation benefits someone in need.

Pillows and Cushions

Although we do accept pillowcases, Chicago Textile Recycling does not have the facilities to recycle cushions or batting inside pillows. For that reason, we are unable to accept pillows and cushions in our bins. However, we have found several options around the area where you can donate as well as an alternative option for simply sprucing up your living space.

When looking to revamp your living space, get creative and buy fabric at your local fabric store to sew new pillowcases for your throw pillows. This alone can sometimes do the trick and completely change the look of a room. If you are not feeling crafty, Etsy and Hobby Lobby as well as other retail options provide already made pillow covers for sale. These can range in price, but are typically inexpensive, and once you’ve changed the cover, remember to recycle your old pillow covers with us. In the same way, you can make or buy new cushion covers also.

If you definitely want to replace the cushions completely, one option to recycle would be to call your local animal shelters. Many animal shelters accept used cushions and pillows in good condition as well as linens for their animal bedding. You could help make a dog or cat feel a little cozier while they wait to be adopted.

For pillows that are in good shape, with no rips or stains or smells, donate them to your local resale shop if they accept these items. Remember to call ahead to double check. And as with carpet mentioned in the previous section, Freecycle is another option and resource.

Large Luggage

Another item we are unable to accept in our bins is large luggage. Due to size restrictions, and risk of blocking the opening of the bin, we cannot accept any items too large in size. However, resale stores accept luggage of all sizes and can accommodate most sizes of luggage you have to donate.

Another great option would be Suitcases for Kids, an organization that accepts used luggage in good condition for kids in foster care. Many times, these children and teens are traveling between foster homes with trash bags full of their personal possessions. This organization plus others work toward foster care children receiving luggage to travel with instead of trash bags. Suitcases for Kids encourages those interested in donating to contact their local branch of the Department of Social Services, Children’s Protective Services, or local Foster Care Agencies to ask about making donations.

Lastly, buying a Zero Waste Box from TerraCycle helps divert luggage from landfill. Although a slightly expensive option, if recycling is important to you, it is worth the money and there is always the option to ask around for others interested in donating luggage to buy a zero waste box with you to reduce costs and encourage others in their recycling goals too.

Car Seats

Due to all the extra components that make up a carseat that are not textiles, we do not accept car seats at CTR. However, there are multiple other ways you can recycle car seats that are no longer used.

Wal-Mart just finished a week long program accepting old car seats to recycle through TerraCycle and paying each recycler a $30 gift card for their donation. This program was so popular that they had to end it early due to the overwhelming number of donations. Several times a year, Target offers a similar program in their stores, sharing 20% off coupons for baby products with each car seat brought in to recycle.

Also moms’ groups would be a great way to connect with other moms and offer up old car seats. Other parents would be thrilled to save the money spent on new car seats and you are purging what you no longer need. Another option could be local women’s shelters; just remember to call and inquire first.

Sleeping Bags

Though there aren’t currently any local companies that recycle sleeping bags, there are many ways you can reuse them and pass them along to help someone else.

Goodwill and other resale stores accept donated sleeping bags in good condition, and for children’s sleeping bags, you could even make money selling them at children’s consignment shops or sales in your area.

To know you’re helping those in need, call local animal shelters as they typically accept different bedding and pillows, including sleeping bags for the animals they have in their care. Also calling around local homeless shelters could prove effective as some take old sleeping bags, and if not, there are many homeless people not in shelters living on the streets that could benefit from an extra layer of warmth. Another alternative, as with other items mentioned previously, Freecycle accepts many items others may not and you would be helping others who may not be able to afford that item.

Chicago Textile Recycling cares about our planet, and we care about the textiles that are filling up our landfill instead of being disposed of in environmentally friendly ways. We are excited to recycle what we can of your donated textiles AND we are excited to share different ways and places where you can recycle what is beyond our facility capabilities. If you know of other places that recycle or accept these items or other items on our Unacceptable list, please reach out to us and let us know. We want to provide as much information to our recyclers and followers as we can on recycling textiles.

Recycling Process

Recycled Textiles: Where Do They Go? Part 2 –…

September 24, 2019January 9, 2020

Two weeks ago, CTR posted about what happens to your textiles when you donate to one of our bins. (READ ABOUT IT HERE) This week we are focusing on the journey your textiles take when donated to a resale store, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army or your local resale shop. What happens after you drive up and drop off your bags? How much is kept and resold in store, and what happens to the rest? Where do they wind up next? This post will tell you more about where recycled textiles go once they leave your home.

First Stop – Resale Store

Just like with donating at a bin, it starts with you, the recycler. Marie Kondo or the season of Spring or just the overwhelming clutter has finally inspired you to go through your house and clean out the closets and dressers, your linens and shoes. You bag all of it up, and put it in your car, and breathe a sigh of relief that you have purged the excess. Next up is a short drive to your nearest resale store where you can unload the stress of too much stuff and feel good about your textiles living another life in someone else’s closet and home. As you drive away, you may wonder where does it all go?

Workers at resale stores first divide items into clothes, toys, housewares, etc. The next group of workers then goes through each donated item and checks for stains, rips, and odors. Clothes that are wet or have mildew are tossed into the trash to head for the local landfill as they are unusable.Stained or torn items as well as those that are out of fashion are bundled for recycling. Items are then assessed by what the store would likely resell and prepared for the store floor. Elizabeth Cline, author of “The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good” states that “on average, most resale stores and thrift shops only sell 20 to 25% of the donations they receive, and the rest is sent onward to exporters or recyclers.” .

Sometimes items are even chosen for the sales floor but after a few weeks of not selling, are then taken off the floor and sent onward. Each store has their own timeline for turning inventory, but all of them try to have something new to offer for customers.

From here – the journey is the same as those items donated to a textile donation bin. We’ve outlined the process here, but you can read about it in full detail in our last blog post – “Recycled Textiles: Where Do They Go? Part 1 – Bins”.

Second Stop – Consolidating Warehouse

Next stop is a consolidating warehouse, such as the one we have at Chicago Textile Recycling. For more information, visit our website.

Third Stop – Sort and Grade

The textiles then move onto graders to be sorted for their final stop.

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 1) – Reuse

Whether the resale store deems it sellable or it is sent to other countries to resell, almost half of donated textiles are resold to enjoy a second life with someone else.

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 2) – Wiping Rags

Our parent company, Wipeco, Inc. uses recycled textiles to cut into wiping rags and resell to buyers.

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 3) – Reprocessing

Many textiles are broken down for insulation, etc.

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 4) – Landfill

A few textiles are at their end of life and have no other possible stops but a landfill.

Taking Care of our Earth

Finally, Chicago Textile Recycling often receives the question, “What should I do with my items that are not good enough to donate to a resale store?” In every case, it is best to donate it anyway, even if you are unsure. Resale store employees are trained to assess if an item should go to the sales floor or on to a recycler and most recyclers purchase those items that don’t make the cut. Although these items sell at a lower rate than pristine conditioned resalable items, many resale stores are non-profits who rely greatly on any additional funds they can generate for the causes they initiate. Rarely will they refuse a donation. If you are interested in finding a resale store near you that recycles, please CONTACT US and we’d be happy to point you to one of our partner stores in your area.

Elizabeth Cline quotes taken from this article

Recycling Process

Recycled Textiles: Where Do They Go? Part 1 –…

September 12, 2019January 9, 2020

Have you ever wondered what happens when you drop off bags of old clothes and textiles at your local textile recycling bin? What do textile recycling companies do with your clothes? What about stained and ripped clothes? Do they shred them all for rags or donate some to resale stores? Where do they wind up next? This post is all about the journey recycled textiles take once they leave your home.

If you find yourself donating to resale stores rather than bins, check out Part 2 of this series that discusses the journey your textiles take at resale stores.

First Stop – Textile Recycling Bin

You’ve cleaned out your closet and your dresser, checked your linen shelves for sheets and towels that are no longer needed, and looked in the bottom of your closet for shoes that no longer fit or fit your style. After you have collected what you can and gathered them into shopping bags, boxes, or garbage bags, you drop them off at the nearest textile recycling bin so someone else can enjoy them. The driver then swings by on his route and cleans out the bin. And then what?

Looking for your nearest donation bin? Contact us!

Second Stop – Consolidating Warehouse

The driver delivers the collected textiles back to our company, Chicago Textile Recycling, which is a consolidating warehouse. At CTR, we consolidate the collected textiles into 1,000 lb bales and prepare them for shipment to a grader, which can be domestic or abroad. Volume is key in recycling as there needs to be enough similar type items for reuse or recycling to be viable. Collecting the maximum volume of textiles prior to shipping helps to reduce our carbon footprint and the cost of freight.

Third Stop – Sort and Grade

The next stop for your recycled textiles is to ship them to graders. Graders are located in the U.S., Canada or even overseas. For Chicago Textile Recycling, which is a member of Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (S.M.A.R.T.), the next steps are to “sort and grade the used clothing based on quality, condition, and type. Once sorted the used clothing and textiles are reused and recycled in one of the following manners.” (quoted from S.M.A.R.T. Press Kit)

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 1) – Reuse

If the clothing is still wearable, it makes the most sense and has the lowest carbon footprint for these items to remain as is and be reworn. Almost half of your donated textiles are sold in the U.S. to resale stores or are exported to other countries where quality secondhand clothing is in high demand. Elizabeth Cline, author of “The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good”, estimates that “the equivalent of 1.7 billion garments are exported out of the United States every year,” the majority of which will be sold as clothing. (quoted from the article below) Cline expounds, “the so-called developing world has become a bigger and bigger market for the clothes that we no longer want.” Due to this demand, Chicago Textile Recycling and other consolidators sells those items graded as wearable to buyers overseas and also domestically for reuse.

There are multiple benefits to exporting wearable clothing for reuse. Not only does this provide affordable, high-quality clothing to those in need, but S.M.A.R.T. also discusses the benefits of shipping secondhand clothing overseas, sharing that this industry “is lauded by many, including Oxfam, an international aid organization. Oxfam points out, it ‘supports the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries who work in trading, distributing, repairing, restyling, washing, etc.’ International trade is a critical component of the textile industry’s success. More than 60% of recovered textile waste is sent abroad to more than 100 countries, equating to more than 1.4 billion pounds of used clothing – creating hundreds of thousands of jobs worldwide.”

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 2) – Wiping Rags

Clothing that is not wearable, out of fashion or slightly stained or torn but made of absorbent materials can be cut into wiping rags. Nearly a third of recycled textiles are cut into wiping rags or polishing cloths then resold to janitorial, automotive, industrial, or manufacturing industries. Items such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans and towels are very effective for making wiping rags.

This is especially pertinent to CTR because our parent company, Wipeco, Inc. does this very thing. We have “2 hands” in the recycling industry because of this. Wipeco, Inc is a distributor of wiping cloths, so we see first hand the benefits of recycled textiles going back into use in a multitude of settings.

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 3) – Reprocessing

For textiles that are not wearable but also non-absorbent, fiber recycling may be their final step. These recycled textiles are reprocessed and then repurposed for things such as:

Furniture stuffing
Carpet padding
Home insulation
Upholstery
Building materials
Automobile sound-proofing
Various other products

Each of these potential uses of repurposed textiles are handled by different industry members that specialize in that particular reprocessing and repurposing. This is not a one stop shop for the end of textile recycling, but involves many employees at many companies that care about the environment and textiles and reducing landfill waste.

Fourth and Final Stop (Option 4) – Landfill

Some textiles that are donated to bins come wet, moldy or contaminated with solvents and are thus deemed unusable and unfit for recycling. These items must be thrown away and end up in landfills. That is why it is so important to clean and thoroughly dry your textiles before donating them. It’s also important to donate in plastic bags so that if others donate things that are wet, moldy, or contaminated, those items will not leak into the rest of the bin.

However, everything does and will have an end of life at some point. Extremely worn items with weak or damaged fibers cannot be recycled. Also, as mentioned above, items that are moldy or contaminated cannot be recycled either. When you face the difficult task of throwing away a textile at its end of life, you can choose to make the transition easier by following the method Marie Kondo teaches in her book and now in her show…thank the item for the life it gave you, and let it go.

Textile Recycling and Our Planet

Finally, donating to a bin is an important step toward reducing waste in landfills and taking care of our planet. Even clothes you are unsure of donating due to wear and stains, it is best to donate regardless and allow the consolidating warehouses to make that call of the item’s usefulness in the recycling process. That beloved stained band t-shirt with a small hole in the front may one day be inside your neighbor’s new couch, or that new minivan you are wanting to buy. When in doubt, donate and help create a better future for all of us.

Elizabeth Cline quotes taken from this article

Numerous facts of the recycled textiles process and a few quotes were taken from the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles press kit