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Holiday Clutter

  • January 27, 2022January 25, 2022
Holiday Clutter

Holiday gift giving and the typical excess that comes with it is a month behind us. A new year has arrived and with it possible resolutions to live healthier (amongst others) in a myriad of ways. You may be walking through your home thinking how do I own this much stuff? Even if your home hasn’t reached hoarder level capacity, clutter has a definite effect on stress levels and finding joy in where you live. I experience it myself in our cozy home with three young children. Toys are everywhere! Clutter abounds and I feel as if I spend most of my waking moments cleaning or tidying and attempting to secretly give things away to donation sites. So what can you do when excess and clutter abound, as you feel your stress levels rise and your fuse grow short with those who share your living space?

Re-Gift or Swap

Regift or Swap

One option of what to do with Holiday gifts that didn’t quite meet your needs or was simply one gift too many is to re-gift it to someone you know. Or perhaps swap it with a friend. Did you receive a pair of shoes that don’t quite fit, but your best friend wears that size? Give the shoes to him/her. Or even swap them if your friend offers something in exchange. Reduce your clutter by letting go of items that don’t have a place in your home.

Donate

Donate

Another option for too many gifts or toys is to donate them. Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we accept stuffed animals and most textiles – here is our list of acceptable items. Many thrift stores accept all toys (hard and soft) in good condition. They also accept kitchen items, furniture and much more. A different way to donate is through a local “Buy Nothing” Facebook group where one can post free items no longer needed. This option for decluttering can potentially help others out in your community as well. For a textile recycling bin or partner resale store in your area, please contact us.

Donate to Refuge

Donate to Refuge

For a specific way to declutter and help those in need, you can reach out to a local homeless or women’s shelter or other place of refuge. With ongoing admissions at these places of refuge, they are typically always in need of items for their residents. Many popular necessities are clothing, bedding, toiletries, etc. Reach out to your local village hall or simply google places of refuge in your area to find out how to connect with nearby shelters.

Animal shelters are also at times in need of donations, such as blankets, towels and pillows for animal bedding. If these are items you have in excess, call local shelters to ask for needed donations.

Donate Blankets & Winter Wear to Homeless

Donate to Homeless

Last year we posted this blog about where to donate winter wear. Another great option for outgrown or excess winter wear and blankets or sleeping bags is to donate them to the homeless. Typically this can be done through shelters (as mentioned in the previous heading). Sometimes organizations also hold coat drives in the Fall and Winter to help homeless and families in need. As noted in the blog, the Chicago Bears typically hold an annual coat drive in conjunction with the Salvation Army. Though canceled for this year, Salvation Army continues to work to provide those in need with winter coats and offers opportunities for partners to hold coat drives to do the same.

Toys to Hospitals

Toys to Hospitals

Once your winter items are cleared out, toys can be the next category to tackle. If your home is similar to mine, it can constantly feel like toys are everywhere. Though we try to contain them in our playroom and the kids’ rooms, we find them spread throughout the kitchen, living room, bathroom and our bedroom on a daily basis. If toys are a large category you would like to downsize, one great place to reach out are local hospitals. For sick children stuck in hospital beds all day for unknown and ranging periods of time, toys can make their stay that much more tolerable. If you have toys in great condition that still work well, look into local hospitals to see what items they accept for donations.

Books to Schools & Libraries

Books to Schools & Libraries

Books are another great item that can be donated to a variety of places. Whether to a library or a school, books offer a way of learning, escape and imagination building to children and adults alike.


If you’re looking for some great organizations that accept book donations for charity and other causes, here is a great article sharing local Chicagoland places to donate.

Return or Exchange

Return or Exchange

Another option for unwanted gift items is to return or exchange them. If you were given a receipt for a holiday gift or if it still has a sales tag attached, you know exactly where to return the item. For those gifts without receipts or sales tags, you may need to gently ask the giver where he/she bought the item. Returns and exchanges give you the option of buying new items for others or more appropriate and needed items for yourself.

Sell

Sell

A last option for clearing out Holiday clutter is selling items you no longer need. There are many online opportunities to sell gifts or possessions, some of which are ebay, facebook marketplace and online resale sites, such as poshmark, mercari, etc. Simply uploading pictures and posting a short description opens opportunities to rid your home of excess.

Options Abound

With all of these options of what to do with excess and clutter, it is easy to clear out belongings you no longer need or want. Regardless of which option you choose, clearing away the clutter will have mental and emotional benefits in decreasing stress in your home. And reducing stress is always a good way to start the new year! For more information on Chicago Textile Recycling and donation locations, please contact us here.

In Need of Textile Destruction? Look No More

  • November 4, 2021
In need of textile destruction? look no more

Does your company have outdated uniforms, misprinted logos or no longer used company textiles? Want to protect the security of your company AND dispose of these items in an environmentally friendly way?

“Chicago Textile Recycling offers environmentally friendly destruction of excess, outdated or mis-printed branded materials. By utilizing our destruction service, you can rest assured knowing your brand identity is safe and your items are being recycled responsibly.”

Millions of pounds of textiles are sent to landfills every year. If your company is looking for a more environmentally-friendly solution to eliminating unwanted or outdated company textiles, Chicago Textile Recycling can help you. Here are a few of the specifics on what we can offer.

Acceptable Items

acceptable items

Chicago Textile Recycling, Chicagoland’s choice for textile recycling, is equipped to handle the following textiles for destruction services:

  • 100% Cotton T-Shirts
  • 100% Cotton Sweatshirts
  • Cotton/Poly Blend T-Shirts

If your items are made of different materials than these, please contact us! We may be able to accept additional fabrics upon approval.

How Do I Transport My Items?

how do I transport my items

Whether you drop off, ship or have your items picked up, Chicago Textile Recycling has you covered. You can choose to drop off your items for destruction for free, ship them to our Hillside facility or we can pick them up for you for a flat fee.

“The fee will be quoted by a Chicago Textile Recycling staff member and is reflective of anticipated volume, location, logistics and processing requirements.”

Certificate of Recycling

certificate of recycling

Once we have fulfilled your destruction services need, we are able to supply your company with a “Certificate of Recycling.” This document shows the poundage of textiles diverted from the landfill. 

“The U.S. EPA estimates that textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space. While the EPA estimates that the textile recycling industry recycles approximately 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste (PCTW) each year, this only accounts for approximately 15% of all PCTW, leaving 85% in our landfills.” (Read more here)

Your company can feel good about helping the environment by diverting textiles away from landfills. You can also rest assured that your uniforms won’t fall into the wrong hands once our services are rendered.

Proof of Destruction

proof of destruction

Upon completion of destruction, Chicago Textile Recycling is able to supply your company with pictures of the destroyed materials. “To ensure you feel confident with your brand security, Chicago Textile Recycling can provide photographic proof of destruction upon request.” Make company safety and the health of our planet a priority by reaching out to Chicago Textile Recycling today.

Learn more here.

Chicago Textile Recycling is Here for You

Whether you need a donation bin, resale store, destruction services or a drop off location for bulk donations, we have you covered at CTR. Chicago Textile Recycling is Chicagoland’s choice for textile recycling. Our aim is to educate and empower our readers to improve our planet for years to come.

CTR FAQ

  • August 10, 2021November 8, 2024
CTR FAQ

Chicago Textile Recycling receives numerous questions from readers and recyclers daily. We are happy to answer any and all questions you may have about textile recycling as one of our goals is to educate readers about the importance of recycling textiles and keeping them out of landfills. There are a few questions that come up repeatedly in our inbox and so thought it may be helpful to address some of those with a blog post covering each one.

Can I Ship Items to Your Facility?

Can I Ship Items to your Facility?

You are welcome to ship items to our facility in Hillside, however it will be at cost to you. This is why we do our best in placing bins around the Chicagoland area, partner with SWALCO to place even more bins, partner with local resale stores, and are always looking for new, often frequented locations to add more bins. If you are looking for a bin or partner resale store near your location, please email us and we will let you know of the closest one. Also, if you know of a business that would be happy to host a bin, please reach out to us.

Where Do I Take Items too Worn for Resale?

Items too worn for resale

Another question we receive quite frequently at CTR is this one. And our answer is “donate all of your items to the same place.” Resale store employees are experienced in knowing what will have resale value and separating out the rest to sell/give to textile recyclers and graders.

CTR works with numerous resale stores in the Chicagoland area consistently picking up items unusable by resale stores and sending them overseas or to graders, who decide the fate of each item. When in doubt of what to do with a used textile, it is best to donate it and let the experts decide if it is indeed at its end of life. We accept worn, torn and stained items, so please donate them.

Why Don’t You Post a List of Your Bins

Post a list of your bins

As for the question we often receive regarding why we don’t post a public list of our bins, at this time we don’t provide one.  Unfortunately in our industry there are many illegal bin operators that don’t follow permitting and permission guidelines.  These companies often search for public lists and drop illegal bins on the listed properties.  This causes confusion and hassle for our donors as well as partner locations.  So we keep our list private to help protect our recycling partners from these types of operations.

Do You Recycle Fabric Scraps?

do you recycle fabric scraps

Most recycling organizations are seeking clothing, as it is the most versatile material for recycling.  Although there are recycling options for scraps, it is really large volumes (hundreds of pounds) that are necessary to process these kinds of materials.  With that in mind, we always recommend that individuals get creative with these items for recycling.  We would recommend that you contact a local preschool or daycare and see if they would like these items for their art room.  Often these kinds of locations greatly appreciate donations of this sort. Another resource we would recommend you checkout is freecycle.

Can You Destroy Company Apparel?

can you destroy company apparel

Yes! Our Business Recycling & Destruction Services program offers local businesses the opportunity to responsibly recycle branded apparel items through textile recycling. We typically are able to accept: 100% Cotton T-Shirts, Polo Shirts and Sweatshirts and Cotton/Poly Blend T-Shirts, Polo Shirts and Sweatshirts. CTR is able to offer a certificate of recycling to your company as well as photographic evidence of destruction per request. Our destruction services are free once the apparel arrives at our facility. We are able to pick up for a fee or you can ship/drop off to us. Please see our website for more information.

What Happens with the Donations?

what happens with the donations

This is another great question we receive quite often. There are many possibilities of where your donated clothes can end up. This is why it is so important to not throw textiles away! The short answer is: resale, wiping rags, reprocessing or landfill. To know more about each of these and follow the entire process, read our blog about “Where Do They Go? Part 1 – Bins”.For what happens when donating to resale stores, the process is nearly identical. You can read all about it in “Where Do They Go? Part 2 – Resale Stores”.

Other Questions??

Was this helpful in answering some of your questions? We hope so. Here at CTR, we work hard to educate our readers and recyclers about the importance of textile recycling, so we would love to answer any questions that may come up. If you have any questions that were not covered by this blog, please reach out to us.

New Year, New You

  • January 5, 2021December 11, 2020
new year, new you

Happy New Year! 2020 was a year to be remembered. Covid-19 made its way around the entire world, taking countless lives and causing fear in every home. Schools shut down and shifted to e-learning. Countries refused to import used clothing for several months. Thrift stores and donation bins were overwhelmed by donations of those stuck at home during prime spring cleaning time.

2021 is a brand new year! We have a new president taking office in the United States. The pandemic remains, but there is hope on the horizon, hope of a vaccine, hope of lower death rates as the initial onslaught subsides, hope of a new way of living as billions stayed at home, slowed down and reconnected. Whatever 2020 brought to your life, the new year is the perfect time to reassess, continuing on with the positive gained from last year, and letting go of the negative.

As you reassess for the year ahead, here are a few positive things you can implement in your own life this new year to care for our planet and for yourself:

5 easy recycling resolutions for you this new year

5 Easy Recycling Resolutions

Last year, we posted this blog for the new year all about recycling resolutions. In it, we challenged our readers to:

  • Recycle Textiles
  • Reduce Textiles
  • 30 Item, 30 Day Wardrobe Challenge
  • Recycling More than Textiles
  • Go One Step Further (with alternative wrapping paper, reducing junk mail, etc)

These resolutions help shape finite ways to play a part in caring for our planet and reducing anxiety in your own life around owning too much stuff. Recycling helps us feel good about doing good and slows down the amount of stuff that reaches the landfill each year. These ideas also give you avenues of creativity in finding alternative methods to doing everyday things such as picking clothes to wear or wrapping gifts. For the latter, check out this article posted last month about great alternatives to traditional wrapping paper.

try something new

Try Something New

As we continue to endure stay at home orders during our coldest season, why not try something new? If you are like me, being forced inside begins to make me feel like the walls are closing in, and though I am a transplanted southerner that would rather admire winter white by the window from the comfort of my warm home, I have three young children that often require my supervision outdoors.

When being stuck at home gets to be too much to bear, don that exquisite secondhand coat and that American-made, eco-friendly matching hat and gloves and see what fun new things you can try outside. For instance, I have never been on a snowmobile but would love to try it sometime. Neither have I cross-country skied. From what I’ve read from others, the key is dressing appropriately for the cold weather and committing to having fun! 

winter wear

Winter Wear

Have your children outgrown their coats and boots this year? Read this blog to see where to donate winter wear. Children’s resale sales abound in our area, and some have even gone online this year in the pandemic, allowing parents to shop from home and simply pick up items the following week curbside. 

Reach out to neighbors and fellow moms to share items that children outgrow. Go through your own items and have your spouse go through theirs to pare down to what you most need and share your bounty with those in true need this winter. For those excess donations headed for your local thrift store, remember to check in with that location to find out pandemic hours and what they can and cannot accept. And never drop off to a location that is closed. Your items will not be resold but most likely head for a landfill if the location is overwhelmed and not accepting donations.

happy new year

Happy New Year

As we head into this new year of the unknown, let us encourage each other to continue in hope. May we find fulfillment in doing good, in loving our neighbor and those inside our own homes well, in finding new (and old) ways of caring for our planet and in hoping for the future and for a time when this pandemic ends and we continue on in kindness. And may we always recycle our textiles. Happy new year!

Wipers

  • November 20, 2020November 13, 2024
Wipers

As many of our readers know, Chicago Textile Recycling operates under its parent company of Wipeco, Inc. A supplier of wiping rags for Chicagoland and the greater Midwest, Wipeco plays a vital role in textile recycling.

“Few consumers, anywhere, have heard of the wiping rag industry. But it bails out everyone. Approximately 30 percent of the textiles recovered for recycling in the United States are converted to wiping rags, according to Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles: the Association of Wiping Materials, Used Clothing, and Fiber Industries (SMART), a U.S.-based trade association. And that’s probably an undercount. The 45 percent of recycled textiles that are reused as apparel eventually wear out, too. When they do, they are also bound for the wiping rag companies.” (“Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale”, Minter, p 158)

A Short History

A Short History

Previously, we shared a very short history of the rag and bone man from the early to mid nineteenth century here. There is no way to truly know when people began cutting old clothes into cleaning rags, but I imagine it began much earlier.

“For most of human history, rag making has been an act of household thrift so common that few consumers think of it as recycling, sustainable, or green. What transformed this act of household thrift into an industrial process were the factories and machines that created the industrial revolution. Maintaining and repairing those machines required rags to apply or wipe up grease and oil. In industrializing England, the most abundant source of those rags was the growing surplus of used, unwanted textiles made by those very machines. An industry emerged to collect and deliver them to the rag makers, and by the late nineteenth century, British rag makers were as industrialized as the textile mills, with buying networks as complex as those used to distribute clothing to the growing retail industry. Rag making soon went global: by 1929, the United States was the leading rag-making nation, home to at least twenty-six wiping rag companies with industrial laundries that ensured the cleanest rags possible. Thousands of people were employed in rag-cutting factories.” (p 159)

Wipeco began in 1960 when Wipeco founder Courtney Shanken’s cloth diaper service business was evaporating with the growing popularity of disposable diapers. He began receiving numerous calls from manufacturers asking to purchase the used clean cloth diapers as rags. From then, it has grown into the business it is today. Though many rag-cutting and supply companies have moved overseas, a number still remain in the United States run by committed and passionate employers who aim to supply quality wiping rags to businesses such as those listed in the quote above.

Why Rags?

Why Rags

What exactly is the need for rags? Are they really necessary for businesses? Do they truly keep a significant number of textiles out of landfills?

“Nobody counts the number of wiping rags manufactured in the United States and elsewhere every year. But anyone who knows the industry acknowledges that the numbers are in the many billions, and growing. The oil and gas industry, with its network of pipes and valves, requires hundreds of millions of rags per year to wipe leaks, lubricants, and hands. Hotels, bars, and restaurants need billions of rags to wipe everything from glasses to tabletops to railings. Auto manufacturers need rags to wipe down cars as they come off the assembly line; repair garages need rags to clean off dipsticks after oil changes; car washes need them to apply wax. Painters need them to wipe brushes, spills and drips. And the healthcare industry demands endless numbers of rags to keep hospitals and clinics clean and sanitary.” (Minter, p 158)

As Minter shares, rags are vital to many industries in our country. With billions used, billions are kept out of landfills. With billions kept out of landfills, those who recycle textiles can know they are making a difference with their donations supplying necessary rags to keep businesses clean and healthy and keeping unnecessary items out of landfills, further harming our planet.

Wipers Today

Wipers Today

With the advent of the pandemic this year, even greater is the need for wiping rags in various industries. Wiping rags used in conjunction with disinfectants and cleaners are essential in keeping populations safe and healthy during this harrowing time. However, rags are not what they were even fifty years ago.

“The days of recycled 100 percent cotton wiping rags are pretty much over, and so are the days when wiping rag manufacturers could rely on industry specifications. The problem is that clothes and textiles simply aren’t as well made as they used to be. A shirt that falls apart after a few washes can’t be transformed into a rag suitable for wiping down a freshly washed car or a restaurant table. Cheap fast fashion isn’t just hurting thrift shops; it’s hastening a garment’s trip to the landfill or garbage incinerator.” (Minter, p 162)

As quality decreases with textile production, many suppliers have had to turn to disposable paper wipers and even create their own wiping rags, seeing the product through from cotton fields to rag, certifying a quality product with the highest standards for wipers. The wiping rag trade is one that is both complicated and creative, and remains indispensable to many industries in our country.

Textile Recycling

Textile Recycling

Our hope at Chicago Textile Recycling is that with this short education around the importance of wiping rags and our ongoing goal of spreading awareness around textile recycling in general will further spur on your desire to recycle textiles and educate those in your sphere of influence. By recycling textiles, you are furthering the production of wiping rags to supply necessary businesses such as hospitals, schools and hotels to keep patients, students, and patrons healthy during this season of sickness. You are helping your community in supplying thrift and resale stores with products to sell to aid their missions of reaching at-risk and poor populations. You are providing fiber content for insulation in numerous homes, cars, and other products. And you are keeping textiles out of landfills and furthering the care of our planet.

Receiving the Perfect Grade

  • October 26, 2020November 13, 2024
Receiving the Perfect Grade

Previously in our blogs at Chicago Textile Recycling, we have explained the process of what happens to your textiles once they are donated. The processes are quite similar whether donating to bins or resale stores. Though there is typically only one grading company that donations are sent to in the recycling process, there are many phases of sorting that donated textiles and other donations go through before they reach their final destination.

“Grade 1” – Donation Sorting

Donation Sorting

Once donations are received in bins or resale stores, the employees sift through the donations deciding the fate, or potential fate, for each item. 

Upon receipt of donations, employees at resale stores quickly sort items into different groups, such as electronics, textiles, housewares, etc. Another group of employees then sort through those groups, assessing what can be resold in store versus what then goes to consolidators or recyclers. Ways to assess textiles are brand name, condition (holes, stains, etc), and knowledge of demand (what has previously sold). 

Many of those items not destined to be resold in stores are sent to consolidators, which is what we are at Chicago Textile Recycling. For those who donate to our bins, our employees at CTR assess donations we receive and consolidate them, sending them to resale stores in the U.S. or graders or to secondhand vendors overseas. Those unfit for resale we buy back from graders for use as rags.

Grade 2 – Grading Facilities

Grading Facilities

After consolidation, donations are sent to grading companies, such as Maple Textiles, the one Adam Minter visits in his book, “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.” Grading companies, such as those in the town of Mississauga, sort, price and ship “as much as one third of the used clothing generated in Canada and the United States. It’s one of the world’s biggest hubs for the purchase and sale of used clothing.” (Minter, p. 132)

After describing the inside appearance of Maple Textiles, Minter goes on to explain the process:

“The clothes are pulled and graded into smaller– and finer– categories. ‘First we sort into boxes,’ Yusuf [owner] says. ‘Then our more experienced employees sort into barrels.’ [He continues, pulling a dress shirt from a box], “‘This is B-grade because of the yellow collar, and it needs to be washed. So it’ll go into a B-grade bundle and be sold for less.’ We stare into a barrel of clothes that Yusuf calls ‘number three.’ Most are torn and feel thin and cheap. ‘That’s sent for rags,’ he says. ‘Wiping rags.’” 

(Minter, p139-140)

Minter goes on to say that just as clothing is sorted in local resale stores according to what customers in that area will buy, employees at grading companies are knowledgeable about what will sell overseas and grade accordingly. These items are then bundled and loaded onto shipping containers to make their way to textile vendors in Africa and other places.

The Final “Grade” – Overseas Vendors

Overseas Vendors

Once a portion of donated textiles cross the ocean to their final stop before being resold to customers, they are sorted once more by those who know firsthand what will sell in their local markets. Minter traveled to Nigeria to learn more about this process from a man named Mr. A, and what happens to donated textiles once they make it to secondhand markets.

“Mr. A tells me that his biggest challenge is sorting the containers of clothes that he imports. The graders in North America and Europe do a good job, but he needs to do his own sort for his Nigerian customers.” (Minter, p 149)

This process of sorting once again for the neighborhood markets involves another warehouse with perhaps fifty employees sorting through used clothes “imported from around the world.” Mr. A tells Minter that there are “more than one hundred sorting and grading warehouses in Cotonou.” (Minter, p. 150) Noone knows what will sell better than the resident vendors that sell the textiles.

Once sorted, textiles that have made the final cut are placed out in neighborhood markets for sale. It has been quite a long process for these textiles to reach the end of their journey but a necessary one that employs hundreds of people and supports several different economies along the way.

Making the Cut

Making the Cut

Whether resold in store, resold overseas, used in wiping rags or as fiber content, textiles have a great potential for use again and again. That is why it is so very important to recycle textiles and not throw them away. Even for those textiles with holes and stains, allow sorters and graders to make the best use of each item in pursuing the end goal of keeping textiles out of landfills.

Resale Stores 101

Resale Stores 101

  • September 11, 2020
Resale Stores 101

Nearly a year ago, we shared a blog about where recycled textiles go once they have been donated to a bin, or to a resale store. From sorting to consolidating to grading to their final destination, recycled textiles can go on to have a lengthy second life after you choose to donate them.

So what happens when your donations are placed in the store for resale? Are they simply resold as is, in the same condition you dropped them off? What do resale stores do with the money from sales? And do all salvageable items go on the floor?

Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes

The behind the scenes look at local and chain resale stores is quite fascinating. Many stores go the extra mile to repair or clean salvageable donations with minor problems before placing them on the sales floor. Skilled craftsmen are employed in addition to those on the sales floor to repair these minor fixes.

“Upholstery is cleaned, and couches are shampooed, cleaned and sanitized. Electronics are plugged in to make sure they work. Donated mattresses are taken apart and rebuilt by a company before being resold at the store…In the woodshop, workers go through pieces of furniture. ‘If it’s salvageable, they’ll clean it up, make minor repairs if they can,’ Burleigh said.” (Read more here)

However, not all donations are salvageable. So what do resale stores do with these items?

“Furniture and other items that aren’t fit for sale in the Salvation Army store because they’re stained or defective are taken to the As-Is warehouse behind the processing center to await public auctions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Store merchandise not sold within three weeks also gets auctioned.”

This is why in our previous posts we have pointed out that it is important to make sure your donated items like electronics are in working condition. A working toaster or cd player is going to bring in more money for the resale store than a broken one, which may not bring in any. The sale of these items puts money back into the community and supports charitable causes.

Partner Programs

In addition to the two options of sales floor or auction, resale stores have partnership programs with local and/or national businesses and organizations:

“Goodwill participates in the Dell Reconnect program, in which computers that can’t be refurbished are recycled, and Dell pays Goodwill for the materials. Another partnership is with the nonprofit Shared Knowledge Literacy Foundation, which looks for unsold books with high-value titles that can be sold online.”

Many other resale stores also find local programs that can offer mutually beneficial partnerships, such as a thrift store in Virginia that donates books to “The Up Center for literacy programs.” 

Partnership programs is where Chicago Textile Recycling fits in with resale stores. We have a partnership program with over 40 local Chicagoland resale stores to help them raise funds from their unsaleable clothing, purses, shoes and belts. Acting as a consolidator for these stores, we partner with them so that they too can raise money for local charities just like the bigger name resale stores.

Where Does the Money Go?

Where Does the Money Go?

The next question you may be wondering is what do resale stores do with the money made from your donations? Of course some of the money has to go back into paying the store’s rent and utilities and paying employees, but the remaining profit oftentimes goes back into community programs and local charities. “All the money made in local Goodwill stores goes back to community programs – job training and career development for people with disabilities or obstacles such as homelessness.”

Resale stores have a variety of programs they support with the money made from sales:

“All proceeds raised by local stores go toward the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, which houses 114 men for six months to a year as they fight drug and alcohol addictions. To feed them three meals a day costs $20,000 a month, Burleigh said, in addition to expenses such as heat, water and electricity.”

Local (non-chain) resale stores typically have other community programs and charitable causes they work with. Many stores in our own Chicagoland area support homeless shelters, low-income families, and other programs.

This is why here at CTR we believe so strongly in what we do. Many of our recyclers previously gave their excess to the big guys – and then weren’t able to raise funds for their own critical programs. We stepped in and began consolidating all their unsaleable items with those from other local small business resale stores. The money they make from our purchase of those items goes back into our city supporting many great and vital programs in the community. We love supporting the people in our city and local small businesses while also caring for our planet.

Donations to Sales Floor or Somewhere Else?

Donations to Sales Floor or Somewhere Else?

After your donations have been sorted, there are many options as to where they can eventually wind up. As stated earlier and in previous blog posts, some donations go to auction, some to other countries, some to make rags or insulation, and some to the sales floor or local shelters.

“At the Union Mission Ministries store in Norfolk, in-house use is the top priority. ‘The first thing we do when we get items donated like clothing, we see where we can use it in our shelters,’ said Linda Jones, the mission’s public relations director. The approximately 350 people in the shelters get free clothing, and if they move into apartments, they are given household items. The next priority: poor people in the community, who receive vouchers and can pick out items from the store for free.

Whatever’s left after that is open for sale to the public, Jones said.”

Another resale store owner shared about a similar end for donations,

“Clothing that doesn’t sell is given to shelters for people in need, and linens that are stained or otherwise can’t be sold are donated to local animal shelters and animal hospitals, said Frances Ross, the Norfolk store’s assistant manager.”

Where We Fit In

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we support small resale stores so that they can turn around and give to local shelters and other charitable organizations. Many cannot generate the volume of larger stores, so we purchase clothing items that are unsaleable and typically send them to a business who specializes in sorting and processing. We specifically serve as a consolidator and help fill full truckloads of baled unsaleable textiles (43,000 lbs at a time). This allows small resale stores to raise funds the same way the bigger name resale stores do and support their local nonprofits.

This is one big reason thrift or resale stores are so vital in our communities. They work to provide thousands of people with clothing and other household goods.

Why Choose Resale

Why Choose Resale

Here are some of the many ways resale stores are important for our economy and the health of our planet:

  • They “employ tens of thousands of people”
  • “Generates at least $18 billion in annual revenue”
  • “Keeps an enormous amount of used stuff out of landfills”
  • “Contributes billions each year to social-service and job-training programs that are crucial to communities nationwide”

      (Statistics found here)

After understanding the myriad of ways resale stores benefit our communities and planet, where CTR fits in as a partner to resale stores, and knowing the problems fast fashion potentially create, why not choose resale for all of your shopping needs?

The Truth About Shoes

  • July 30, 2020July 28, 2020

“According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Americans throw away at least 300 million pairs of shoes each year. These shoes end up in landfills, where they can take 30 to 40 years to decompose.” Read more here.

 

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, the majority of our posts and blogs are about textile recycling, which includes any textiles that can be resold as is or recycled into rags or fiber content. When textiles come to mind, most people think of clothes, towels, sheets, etc, but not necessarily shoes. However, CTR does in fact accept paired shoe donations. This blog post will hopefully bring more clarity around shoes we do accept, facts about shoewear and how to handle your shoe purchases and ownership in an environmentally responsible way.

 

Paired Shoes – Shoes That CTR Accepts

Chicago Textile Recycling does accept paired shoes at their donation bins and partner resale stores. Shoes are a high demand item at CTR, primarily for reuse. If you have shoes that you no longer wear and they are simply sitting in your closet, please donate them. Types of shoes that are in highest demand are sneakers or athletic shoes, followed by leather work shoes and then sandals. Men’s shoes are in higher demand than women’s shoes as men typically own, and thus recycle, fewer pairs of shoes. However, we accept all sizes and most types of paired shoes and would love your donations. 

 

Making Smart Shoe Purchases

When making the choice to purchase new shoes, there are factors to making smart choices about the kind of shoe and amount of shoes that are environmentally responsible. Shoes are needed for different activities, such as:

  • flip flops for summer time and time at the beach
  • warm boots for winter if you live in a cold climate
  • rain boots for living in the city and commuting to work in the spring
  • tennis shoes for running and exercising
  • dress shoes for work

Various shoes are needed for various reasons, but the problem comes in when shoes are bought and never worn, or worn once, or worn for looks and not for comfort.

 

Typically women are more renowned for overbuying in the shoe department. “Americans spend $85.6 billion on shoes every year.” (statistic found here) However, this is not always the case. Men also can choose to overbuy, and parents buying for their kids can easily find children shoes too cute not to purchase numerous pairs.

 

The environmentally responsible thing to do would be to buy shoes on an as needed basis for the variety of purposes they can serve and save the rest of your income for other areas in your life.  Even better, as you are shopping for new shoes, purchase a single higher quality versatile shoe rather than several pairs that each only fit one specific purpose. Just as fast fashion makes cheap clothes that don’t last – the same is true with shoes. Quality over quantity is the environmentally friendly choice. 

 

Regularly look through your shoe collection to find any that you do not wear or no longer wear and donate them to CTR or one of our partner resale stores if they are a style of shoe our program accepts. 

 

A final environmentally responsible choice would be to use those shoes that are not easily reusable such as high heels or slippers or flip flops as much as possible so that they are thoroughly loved before they reach their end of life in a landfill. If broken, you could seek repair rather than simply throwing them away. When my husband’s cold weather boots started to split at the bottom, I made a final attempt at the local shoe repair store before finally throwing in the towel. Though not as prevalent as they once were, shoe repair stores can still be found and offer a great alternative in giving shoes a longer life.

 

True Shoe Recycling

Although there is much in the news about recycling textiles and the numerous companies that are taking that challenge head on, there are not many options for recycling shoes. The biggest way to extend the life of a shoe right now is to donate it for reuse.  Much more innovation is needed for shoe recycling to be a legitimate option for shoes you no longer wear.

 

One recycling program, Nike Grind (reuse a shoe), accepts only athletic shoes for use in Nike Products. This is a good program, but unfortunately, good condition athletic shoes are some of the highest in demand for reuse also, which is what CTR serves to do with our donated shoes. We are still in need of other companies and organizations to take the lead in helping spread awareness about the problems of overbuying and how fast fashion through shoe buying specifically adds to the harm of our planet. 

 

Recycle, Not Trash

It is important to remember to always donate or recycle and not to throw used textiles and shoes in the trash. Right now, the best end to shoes you no longer wear would be to donate them to local resale stores and CTR bins so that they can be reused by others if possible. Allow CTR and resale stores to have the final say of whether a shoe (or textile) is truly at its end of life. Little by little we can create change together.

Where to Recycle Winter Wear

  • January 14, 2020January 13, 2020

where to recycle winter wear

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.”

 

winter is a time of need

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:

coat drives and resale stores

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.

 

donate your winter boots

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

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

We are CTR

  • August 22, 2019December 19, 2024

We are CTR

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

Resale Store

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

Textile BinsChicago 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

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

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.

Categories

  • Recycling 25
  • Green Benefits 21
  • Seasonal 13
  • Recycling Process 11

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Contact Us

Contact Us

A division of:
Wipeco, Inc.
171 S Gary Ave
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: (708) 544-7247
Fax: (708) 544-7248

 

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