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

September 12, 2019December 19, 2024

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

Our Company

We are CTR

August 22, 2019December 19, 2024

Who We Are

Chicago Textile Recycling is a textile recycling company that promotes a mission to divert waste from area landfills by providing textile recycling outlets all over the Chicagoland area. We formally launched our Chicago Textile Recycling (CTR) brand in 2011 as a way to develop our program more substantially after many years of offering textile recycling services under our parent company Wipeco, Inc. Currently , we service over 75 locations throughout the Chicagoland area including our donation bins and partner stores – and that number continues to grow! We also provide fundraising opportunities for area organizations, businesses and municipalities. By collecting used textiles (clothing, shoes, and household items) for reuse and recycling, CTR diverts over 2.5 million pounds of waste from area landfills annually.

As the dedicated recycling division, Chicago Textile Recycling works symbiotically with our parent company, Wipeco, Inc. to provide a closed-loop recycling solution for the local Chicagoland area. Founded in 1960 and family owned and operated, Wipeco, Inc. is Chicagoland’s Premier Wiping Rag Supplier, selling recycled wiping cloths nation-wide and extending the life of discarded textiles through repurposing.

Our company is also a member of Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles, “an international trade association…promoting the interdependence of the for-profit textile recycling industry segments and provides a common forum for networking, education and advocacy.” (quoted from the S.M.A.R.T. homepage) Our VP Justin Woycke currently serves on the Board of Directors of S.M.A.R.T.

Why We Blog

We are a company that cares about recycling and works to provide closed-loop recycling in our area. We desire a better earth for our children to grow up in by tackling one small part of the enormous waste problem. At CTR, we utilize our digital platforms to help educate the general public about the textile recycling industry while also following the latest news and trends.

What We Do

Chicago Textile Recycling offers four different programs to our recyclers and customers. We offer a Resale Store Recycling Program, Consumer Recycling Bin Program, Laundry Discards Service and Business Services Program.

Resale Store Recycling Program

Often resale stores and charities are given more donations than they can sell, or they receive donations with small rips and stains. Big chain stores have the ability to sell directly to global textile recyclers, however, smaller stores may not have the space or volume to recycle globally in this manner. That’s where we come in. CTR works as a consolidator in the Secondary Textile Industry to collect excess and unsaleable shoes and clothing from over 50 Chicagoland resale stores that otherwise may not have space or volume to sell directly.

Resale stores are paid by CTR for all goods received, allowing them to financially benefit from items that would have otherwise been landfilled. We schedule regular or call-as-needed pick-ups and provide detailed reporting for store convenience. Please contact us if you know of a resale store that may be interested in this service.

Consumer Recycling Bins

Chicago Textile Recycling partners with area organizations, businesses, and municipalities who host a collection bin to divert textiles from the waste stream and generate funds. These bins are regularly serviced and expertly maintained by our drivers. If you are interested in hosting a bin, please contact us for more info. Reliable payment and detailed volume reporting are two benefits we offer. Another benefit that ensures quality for your business is that our bins follow the SMART Collection Bin Code of Conduct.

Laundry Discards

We at CTR work with commercial laundry facilities to recycle linens (sheets, towels, washcloths) and other items no longer acceptable for circulation. Clients include:

commercial laundries
hospitals
hotels

Transportation on an as-needed or weekly scheduled basis are offered as well as reliable compensation for what is sold to us.

Business Services

Lastly, here at CTR, we offer environmentally friendly destruction of excess, outdated or misprinted branded materials. Rest assured knowing your brand identity is safe and your items are being recycled responsibly. Chicago Textile Recycling is equipped to process 100% cotton t-shirts, 100% cotton sweatshirts, and cotton/poly blend t-shirts. We offer certificates of recycling and photographic proof of destruction upon request. Find out more here.

Because We Care

Through these four programs, Chicago Textile Recycling works toward closed-loop recycling in the greater Chicagoland. We care about the environment and creating a better world for the future. CTR works in many ways to help keep Chicagoland greener and encourages everyone to do their part by recycling textiles. Please contact us with any questions or for more information.

Green Benefits

Why Should You Recycle Used Clothing?

July 31, 2019December 19, 2024

Clothing and household textiles currently make-up 4.67% of the waste stream. Chicago Textile Recycling works with many partners in the used clothing industry and together provide lower income people around the world with affordable clothing. Clothing that is not suitable for wear is recycled into wiping rags. Additionally, some clothing and textiles not suitable for wiping purposes are processed back into fibers that are then remanufactured by other partners that Chicago Textile Recycling work with into paper, yarn, insulation, carpet padding, sound proofing, etc. Recycling vs. manufacturing has many “green” benefits, including:

Carbon Footprint Reduction
Clean Air Preservation
Reduced Energy Consumption
Water Conservation
Woodland Conservation