shoes Archives - Chicago Textile Recycling

Back to School

August 18, 2022

The time has come…that time of year when children ages five to eighteen, and sometimes younger and many times older, are making preparations to return to school. For some this is full of worries: Who will my new teacher be? Will I like him/her? Will I have friends in my new class? And for many this is full of excitement: I can’t wait! I get to see all of my friends again. Mommy/Daddy/Grandma always takes me back to school shopping. Whatever your children may be feeling as school approaches and these first few weeks of school begin, we are wishing each of you a great year. And as you head to the stores for back to school shopping and return home to reevaluate dressers and closets and stand amazed by how tall your child has grown over a few short summer months, we are here for all of your “no longer fits or too worn out” needs.

My! How You’ve Grown!

The days are long and the years are short, and children never stop growing it seems. Especially as the seasons change and your children start wearing pants and long sleeves, it becomes quickly apparent just how much they have grown. Chicago Textile Recycling accepts all children’s clothing and shoes, even those that are stained, torn and very worn. Here is a list of our acceptable items and the following are some categories to sift through as you reassess what still fits.

Pants and Shorts

Just like in our blog on Spring Cleaning, it’s important to have lists or categories of what to go through as you are cleaning out. The first textile it seems children outgrow are pants. Seemingly overnight they can grow another inch no longer fitting their entire wardrobe of pants. Similarly shorts can go from fitting at an appropriate length to being too short or too tight as waists expand likewise.

Shirts

In similar fashion to pants, long sleeved shirts is another category that can change overnight. As arms lengthen, sleeves that once fit down to the wrist can a day later be much shorter. T-shirts also can quickly go from hip-length to midriff proportions, necessitating a trip to the donation pile.

Pajamas

Closely related to pants and shirts, pajamas too can grow shorter and tighter over years, or even months. One big growth spurt can lead to an entire collection of pajamas no longer fitting. Back to school is a good time to sift through as seasons also change around this time and little ones will move from pajama shorts to pants and even fleece or flannel.

Underwear and Swimsuits

Another category to clean out is underwear and swimsuits. As bodies grow bigger and longer, these textiles can grow tighter and shorter, deeming them inappropriate to wear. As children move out of swim season and into Autumn as they start school, it is a good time to go through swimsuits and see what can be donated to those in need.

Socks and Shoes

Bodies grow in length and waists grow in circumference, and feet grow as well through the years. Back to school is a great time to reassess what size feet your children have. Typical of back to school shopping, new shoes are oftentimes purchased to complete the look so knowing what size feet your little ones have is necessary. When they size up, make sure to go through shoes and socks and donate any of these that no longer fit.

Outerwear

The last category to clean out is outerwear. Jackets and coats, hats, gloves, snow bibs and scarves, these items typically only last a few years at best as bodies change and grow. Quicker than we realize, soon after school begins, temperatures will cool and many of these will be needed. As you sift through other clothes and shoes, make sure to look through these items too so that you know what you need for the Fall and Winter ahead.

Back to School Shopping

After we clean out all of the ill-fitting and worn out textiles, it is time to get ready for the school year ahead. For many this means heading to malls or stand alone stores for new item purchases. However, this could also mean thrift shopping and consignment sales for barely worn and new to you purchases. If your children have grown a complete size up in shoes or clothing, buying everything new will likely require more than your budget will allow. At Chicago Textile Recycling, we strongly encourage donating textiles AND buying gently used textiles when in need of clothing and shoes. This cuts down on textile waste and environmental harm from creating so many new items. Read more at our blog here on why donating textiles and buying used is important.

As you complete your cleanout of children’s clothing and shoes for the new school year, please contact us to locate your nearest donation bin or partner resale store. And HAVE A GREAT YEAR!

Recycling

Donating with R-E-S-P-E-C-T

April 21, 2021November 8, 2024

“One garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every single second around the world.” (quoted by Elizabeth Cline in “The Conscious Closet”, p32, originally from a publication by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation)

Many of you, our readers, have asked “Can I donate this?” when referring to items that are torn or stained or in condition less pristine than “gently used.” The answer is yes. Always donate items if you are unsure. Unless it is wet or smelly, please donate it. If it is wet, dry it and then donate it. If it is smelly, wash it and then donate it. As quoted above, trashing textiles continues to be a huge problem in our world, one with huge effects on our ecosystems.

To shine a little more light on this topic, Elizabeth Cline’s book “The Conscious Closet” addresses some of the very questions you have asked and highlights some tips for Used Clothing Etiquette.

Clothing is Not Garbage

“Many of us make an honest effort to donate our gently used clothes, but we’re confused about what to do with the pieces that are worn out or broken. Isn’t it disrespectful to donate these items?” (Cline, p32)

The answer is no. Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, and most resale stores, we want all of your used textiles. As noted above, unless it is smelly or wet, please donate. There are employees highly trained at resale stores and grading facilities that sort each piece, and those that are not resaleable can still be used. Some of the uses for worn out, stained and torn clothing can be fiber content for car seat filling or insulation or wiping rags for businesses such as automotive companies and restaurants, for example. Few donated textiles are truly at their end of life, but it is always best to allow the experts to decide. So please donate textiles, no matter the condition.

“The vast majority of clothes are thrown out before their useful life is over, which amounts to lost value, resources and landfilling fees.” (Cline, p 32) Cline goes on quoting multiple sources about the millions spent in landfill fees for trashing and burning textiles, greenhouse gases emitted by clothes in landfills as well as hazardous chemicals released by some synthetics. She continues, listing the immense environmental benefits from recycling and donating clothing. With donating clothing, she highlights some tips for offering quality donations and showing respect for those to whom we donate.

Used Clothing Etiquette

In her book “Conscious Closet”, Elizabeth Cline devotes hundreds of pages to simple steps the reader can make toward caring for our Earth through taking better care of our textiles. This can be done in a myriad of ways: caring about workers making our clothes, demanding clothes of better quality, keeping textiles out of landfills, treating textiles with respect, understanding different fibers and fabrics and more. After cleaning out our closets, she shares guidelines of etiquette we should strive to follow to make the best use of items we no longer desire to own. They include:

Clean your clothes, no exceptions
Remove personal belongings and detritus
Tie your shoes together
Mend and repair
Never leave your donations outside unattended

Clean Your Clothes, No Exceptions

The first guideline she suggests is to clean your clothes before donating them. This follows our requirements that no donations be smelly or wet upon donation. “Set-in stains are fine if you’re recycling, but odors and unwashed dirt and grime are not.” (p 31) She continues, “Do this out of respect for the dozens of people who will handle your clothes. Dirty clothes also might end up in the dump, as it takes secondhand clothing dealers precious time to wash them.” If you are choosing to donate textiles to help care for our planet, and you are choosing to travel to a bin or resale store, choose also to make sure your donations are clean first.

Remove Personal Belongings and Detritus

The second guideline is to “Inspect your pockets and the fabric and remove all pet hair, lint, dirty tissues, coins, receipts, and the like” (p31). This is done out of respect for those you are donating to so that they do not have to take precious time in doing this. It also can be for your own sake. Shopping for purses at a thrift store, I once came upon a purse that had around ten $1 dollar bills inside. This person missed out on precious money by not checking their items before donation. Other times, I have pulled on my own coats when winter rolled back around only to find a $10 or $20 dollar bill I had forgotten was in the pocket. Remember to check through your items before adding them to donation bags.

Tie Your Shoes Together

Thirdly, Cline recommends tying your shoes together when donating. “There’s an overseas market for single shoes, but those that are paired up are much more valuable and have a greater chance of finding a new home.” (p 31) Again, these guidelines are about respecting workers in the secondhand business and doing small things that make a big difference with our donations.

Mend and Repair

“All donated clothing should be mended or repaired whenever possible to extend the item’s life and keep it out of landfills.” (p 31) At Chicago Textile Recycling and most bins and resale stores, torn textiles are accepted and wanted, but repaired or mended items have higher value and more salability. If you have the time and want to offer higher quality donations, mended and repaired items are greatly appreciated.

Never Leave Your Donations Outside Unattended

Lastly, as we have said before, especially during this time of Covid-19, when many resale stores have reduced hours or are even closing at times for the pandemic, it is vital that you check with your donation site first to make sure they are accepting donations at that time. If they are closed or “the collection point is full, do not leave your items outdoors unattended. Clothing left outside might get rained on or become damp and then mildew. From there, it will be landfilled.” (p 31)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T and Gratitude

All of us at Chicago Textile Recycling are thankful for your donations. A big part of our gratitude is having those who donate show respect for our planet, for their textiles and for us by following many of these guidelines of etiquette and showing great care for their textiles. It is the heart of our organization to see textiles stay out of landfills and have second lives in the hands of other consumers, as wiping rags or as fiber content. If you have further questions about donations we accept, check here and then reach out for more information or to find your nearest bin or resale store.

Programs

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.