stained donations Archives - Chicago Textile Recycling

5 Fast Facts about Textile Recycling

September 8, 2021

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we think recycling your textiles is not only important, but vital to the well-being of our planet. It cuts down immensely on waste at landfills and has an incredible impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Ready to learn five fast facts?

3.8 Billion Pounds

“The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average person throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year. That adds up to 3.8 billion pounds of unnecessary waste added to our landfills.” (quote found here)

Why do people choose to throw away textiles? Potential reasons could be:

Not enough information about what can and cannot be recycled (found here)
Easier to throw away (found on infographic here)
Resources for textile recycling are too far away

Each of these reasons are things we can work to eradicate together. As we educate our readers on textile recycling, we can all do our part in sharing this information with neighbors and friends and families, extending knowledge so more people know the profound and long-lasting benefits of recycling. We can likewise encourage and challenge ourselves and others to take the time and make the choice to recycle textiles instead of throwing them away. And if you know of areas in need of a textile recycling bin, please contact us so that we can provide more coverage for those who want to recycle.

Clean and Dry

“Any textile item, even if it’s worn, torn, or stained, can be recycled. You can even recycle a single shoe! Items simply need to be clean and dry.”

In our previous blog on “Textile Recycling 101”, we discussed our ability to accept worn, torn or stained textiles as long as the items are clean and dry. Even one wet or smelly item in your donation bag can render the whole bag or box unusable so please make sure each and every item is clean and dry before dropping off your donation.

And yes, though paired shoes are preferred, we also accept single shoes.

Decreased Need for Natural Resources

“Recycling clothing and textiles decreases the use of natural resources, such as water used in growing crops and petroleum used in creating new clothing and textiles. It also decreases the need for chemicals used in manufacturing new textiles and the pollution caused by the manufacturing process.”

In addition to keeping textiles out of landfills, recycling old clothing and textiles also benefits the earth when others use your donated items. Wearing used clothing and shoes or purchasing used textiles such as curtains reduces the need for producing new items. This cuts down on precious natural resources needed to produce new textiles.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

“10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by clothing and footwear production. This is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.” (found here)

Overproduction in the fashion industry is a huge problem. Though fashion companies need to do their part in producing less clothing and make their products more sustainable, the consumer also has a responsibility in what they purchase. With such a large amount of clothing available in the world, choose wisely and sustainably in your purchase decisions. To cut back on greenhouse gases, consider buying used at thrift stores or in one of many online used marketplaces.

95% Can Be Recycled

According to the infographic found here at the website for Secondary Materials And Recycled Textiles, “95% of textiles worn or torn can be recycled.”

This is a HUGE reason to recycle old textiles. With 85% of textiles being thrown away, what a big difference it would make to instead recycle those items. Of those recycled textiles, 95% can be used again, either for reuse by a new owner, downcycled into wiping rags or broken down to fiber content.

Recycling Recap

Now that you know these five fast facts, what is stopping you from recycling your textiles? Help us in our mission to educate others about the importance and impact of textile recycling and share this blog with your friends and family. Have you heard any interesting facts about textile recycling that you’d like to share with us? Comment below on the blog or on our social media pages.

Recycling

Textile Recycling 101

July 14, 2021

“A new survey of 2,000 Americans revealed that 62 percent worry that a lack of knowledge is causing them to recycle incorrectly.” (Read more here)

Chicago Textile Recycling is committed to reduce textiles in landfills, and educate our readers on the problems of fast fashion and ways to reduce waste when it comes to the textiles we own. Though this survey may have been more about recycling in general, we know that there is a lot of misinformation out there, so our aim is to educate readers around ways each of us can do our part in keeping textiles out of landfills and disposing of them properly.

What Can and Cannot be Recycled

“Twenty-two percent of respondents report not having enough information regarding recycling and 18 percent admit they don’t understand what can and can’t be recycled.”

Though each resale store and bin may differ in what they do and do not allow in their bins or at their donation sites, we have created this flyer at CTR to try and make it clear the items we do and do not accept. If you have questions about items not on this list, please reach out via this form.

Many big name resale stores, and some smaller resale stores, accept torn and stained and other imperfect items as well. These stores work with recyclers such as CTR and sell their items in bulk to be sold to other secondhand markets, downcycled into wiping rags, insulation, or other ends.

Helpful Tips

In addition to this list of accepted and unaccepted items, here are a few helpful tips as you gather up items to recycle:

Bag Donations

If you are bringing donations to our bins, they should be in bags easily able to fit into our bins. Boxes are likely too bulky and not malleable enough to fit into the opening, so it is best to use garbage bags when compiling your donation at home. If you are bringing donations to a thrift store, boxes would work as well as bags.

Torn or Stained Items

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we DO accept torn and stained items. Although mended and unstained items have higher resale/recycling value and are preferable, we will accept those with rips and stains as long as they are not severely damaged.

Wet or Smelly Items

Lastly, we cannot accept textiles and donations that are wet or smelly. Please clean and dry your items before bagging them for donation. Items that are wet or smelly and anything around those items will most likely need to be moved to the trash.

Unaccepted Items

Chicago Textile Recycling accepts textiles and shoes primarily. We do not accept items such as movies, books, dishes, furniture, etc. However, these items can still be donated so please do not put them in the trash. Many resale/thrift stores accept used items such as these. We have written this blog to point our readers to other places that do accept some of our unaccepted items.