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Bad Bin Operators

October 11, 2023

Over the years of collecting textiles at bins and partner resale stores, we frequently receive emails from recyclers asking why they cannot find a list of our bins on our website. The automatic reply we send back is this one:

As for your question regarding public lists, at this time we don’t provide a list of our bins. 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.

This response is frustrating for us as an organization that wants to encourage our donors to donate textiles and give you all the information you need to do so. We also know it is frustrating for our followers who want an easy and accessible way to find bins or partner stores. In this blog, we will explain more about the ins and outs of placing bins and how to do it reputably.

Bad Bin Operators

The primary reason we cannot provide a public list of our bins and partner stores is bad bin operators. There are always permits and guidelines involved in placing a textile recycling bin, and we have found that there are many illegal bin operators that don’t follow these.

One news report from a few years ago stated “In Chicago, the city requires permits for donation bins but our investigation found scores of unpermitted bins that litter the streets.” (found here) When unlabeled bins are placed, illegal dumping increases as the sites are not serviced regularly, if at all. Another news report stated, “Many bins overflow with uncollected items, are misused as trash receptacles and attract garbage pickers and vermin.” (found here) In addition, donations are often used for profit alone in the resale market rather than for nonprofit or for the purposes of textile recycling and cleaning up our planet.

Illinois Law for Bin Operators

Bad bin operators are violating numerous rules and regulations listed here when they fail to label or clean out their bins, or place them without permission from businesses they are placed beside.

“To obtain a permit, bin operators must follow guidelines, including paying a $100 permit fee every two years, posting the name and telephone number of a local contact person on the bins and maintaining an updated website, which lists the addresses of each collection bin maintained by the operator.” (found here)
Also these bins are required to make detailed map drawings of permanent structures and signs around the bin to obtain the initial permit, a letter signed by the property owner or lessee, provision of a bin large enough to hold requested donations and a commitment to regular maintenance and donation removal so that the bin doesn’t become dilapidated or overflow, among other regulations. (Found here)

SMART Bin Operator Code of Conduct

In addition to following Illinois laws for operating our bins, we go above and beyond by following the S.M.A.R.T. Bin Operator Code of Conduct, found here. A few ways we ensure the best care for our bins and relationship with those who donate is:

“3. Refrain from using deceptive or ambiguous labels/logos on bins that imply contributions will go to support a particular cause if there is no underlying affiliation with a charitable organization and clearly disclose the for-profit nature of your business on the collections bins”

And

“5. Service collection bins as often as necessary to avoid accumulation of recycled items or debris around said bins,”

And

“6. Provide the property owner and/or representative with a working phone number and commit to responding to any complaints regarding bin maintenance within 24 hours of receiving notification during regular business hours”.

How Can You Help

With the numerous rules required by the city and the additional code of conduct we follow for our bins, we are doing our part in providing the public with well-maintained and labeled bins. We are always looking to place more bins and make donating more convenient for our followers, so please reach out if there is a local business in your area willing to host a bin. Ways that you can help as you donate is to always work with or donate to reputable bin companies and to never leave items at unlabeled bins or bins that are already overflowing. Please contact us for any questions or to find the nearest bin or partner resale store to your location.

Green Benefits

Earth Focused Holidays

March 2, 2023

The months of March and April bring many different holidays and remembrances promoting recycling and ways of caring for our planet. These include: Global Recycling Day on March 18, Earth Hour on March 25, Earth Day on April 22 and Fashion Revolution Week the week of April 24. On this first day of March, we would love to share a little more about each of these days and the history as well as the potential impact each can play toward our future. There are many ways to celebrate and to get involved locally and on a larger scale.

Global Recycling Day – March 18

The first of these holidays is Global Recycling Day. Celebrated on March 18 on the heels of St. Patrick’s Day, “Global Recycling Day was created in 2018 to help recognise, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet. It is a day for the world to come together and put the planet first.” (found here) It is a day to raise awareness and volunteer in a variety of ways to help care for our planet.

The Global Recycling Commission set out a twofold mission for this holiday:

“1. To tell world leaders that recycling is simply too important not to be a global issue, and that a common, joined up approach to recycling is urgently needed.

2. To ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until this happens, we simply won’t award recycled goods the true value and repurpose they deserve.” (found here)

As the first holiday in our lineup, Global Recycling Day sets out an important agenda for calling on our leaders to unite in pushing for political reforms to highlight the importance of recycling and for enlightening others around the world about its importance in their day to day life choices.

Earth Hour – March 25

Our second planet-honoring holiday this season is Earth Hour, which is observed for one hour on the last Saturday in March. From 8:30-9:30pm on Saturday, March 25th people around the country and even world will be turning off their lights to honor Earth Hour. 2022 saw “people from 192 countries and territories [come] together in support of people and our planet. We saw landmarks turn off their lights and supporters switch off at home, as well as a range of activities such as virtual concerts, mangrove planting, street clean-ups and virtual runs.” (found here)

Earth Hour was “started in 2007 by WWF and partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney to raise awareness of climate change,” (here) and has now “become a catalyst for positive environmental impact, driving major legislative changes by harnessing the power of the people and collective action.” It is easy to participate in this event. Simply turn off your lights for this one hour in March. And feel free to become involved in bigger ways too – through writing legislators to cleaning up parks and more.

Earth Day – April 22

A third, and very well known, planet loving holiday this Spring is Earth Day. Celebrated on April 22, Earth Day “marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.” (found here) Begun by two senators as teach-ins on college campuses, that first year “Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts.” Over the decades, Earth Day has become a global holiday involving over 100 countries in the mission to take better care of our planet.

On their website, Earth Day 2023 has six ways to make a difference this year:

Educate our youth through classroom learning
Break free from single use plastics
Plant trees (through the Canopy Project)
Use your voting power to protect our environment
Clean up communities, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails and parks
Choose sustainable fashion over fast fashion

Many cities post about Earth Day celebrations – so be on the lookout for ways to get involved in your own neck of the woods and help care for planet Earth.

Fashion Revolution – Week of April 24

The final way we spread awareness, and honor the care of our planet over these few months is through Fashion Revolution Week, which always falls on the week of April 24, commemorating the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh. You can read more about this in our blog “5 Ways to Fight Fast Fashion.” In 2013, over one thousand young women were killed and more than 2,500 more were injured when the building collapsed.

On their website, they list numerous ways to get involved here, including packets on ways to get involved, hosting an event, educational resources for teachers and educators and posters to print to help spread awareness. Also on our blog listed above, we share five ways to get involved in the fight against fast fashion.

We Can Care All Year Long

Though these four commemorations and holidays all fall within the months of March and April, don’t feel limited to volunteer or spread the word only during these months. Park services are always looking for volunteers to help clean up and take care of parks and beaches. There are many months where you can help plant trees or butterfly and bumblebee friendly plants. Educating others and spreading awareness can happen any time of the year. And we can always change our way of living by starting to recycle and making more conscientious decisions about the things we purchase.

Our Company

For-Profit Textile Recycling

January 24, 2023November 7, 2024

Chicago Textile Recycling exists under the parent company of Wipeco, Inc., a large supplier of wiping rags primarily to the Midwest. We have shared before some of the history of our company. Wipeco has changed over the years from a diaper service in the 1960’s to what we are today, providing wiping rags and other janitorial supplies to the greater Chicagoland and Midwest areas. Both Wipeco, Inc and CTR are known as for-profit companies, in contrast to non-profit. What does this mean for us, and what does it mean for you as you choose our bins and partner resale stores to recycle your old textiles?

For-Profit vs Non-Profit

First off, what exactly is a ‘for-profit’ business? “While for-profit organizations may have a variety of goals, their primary mission is to generate profit and develop effective products and services that are valuable to consumers.” (Here) For Wipeco, Inc, this looks like offering the best janitorial and sanitation products as well as strong and absorbent wiping rags, either disposable, new cloth or recycled from our textile recycling donations. For CTR, this looks like developing effective ways to collect used textiles in the Chicagoland area for further use both locally and abroad.

How does a for-profit differ from a non-profit? “A nonprofit, by contrast, doesn’t prioritize profits and is instead dedicated to promoting a social cause or advocating for a particular standpoint.” (Here) Non-profits can (and often should) be held in high esteem because of their dedication to community needs and serving those communities. However, for-profit organizations can also offer many benefits to local communities and elsewhere.

Local Business

For-profit textile recyclers, such as Chicago Textile Recycling, are small local businesses. Because for-profit businesses generate profit and pay employees (in contrast to relying on volunteers), they help the local economy through providing jobs as well as providing local services to its community. For us, this looks like providing a local place to drop off textiles and offering destruction services for unusable uniforms from other local businesses and organizations. It also offers a specific service for the greater Chicago area and a point of pride for us to be a part of Chicago commerce and for Chicago to have a great recycling service being offered for its residents.

Benefits Global Economy

In addition to benefiting the local economy, for-profit textile recyclers benefit the global economy, as goods are exchanged and businesses are established in developing countries. Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we have numerous relationships with other businesses both locally and globally. We send many of our recycled textiles overseas to benefit those in other areas of the world and their economies. For more info on the benefits to those receiving recycled textiles overseas, see our blog where we describe employment opportunities and affordable clothing options to those we work with. We also work with graders that can be local or international, increasing our impact on the global economy. In our blog on the process of where recycled textiles go, we talk about our work with graders during the recycling process.

Effective Resource

Lastly, for-profit textile recyclers such as CTR are effective resources for processing donated items. Whereas many people believe that their donations to a charity or non-profit go directly to those in need, this is often not the case. Many charities receive far more donations than they can sell or use, and thus need to find volunteers to sort and process these donations. This process can detract from their mission of serving those in need.

In contrast, many for-profit companies can and do partner with nonprofits to assist them in their mission. They do this by helping them earn funds for their donations collected without necessarily needing to provide labor to sort and process. For-profit companies have the freedom to do many things that nonprofits simply don’t have resources and time to do and thus can offer different benefits to the community.

Our Hope

Our hope in writing this blog is for more clarity for our readers around the differences between nonprofit and for-profit and how they both offer beneficial, yet different options for consumers and communities. We are thankful for the ways we have been able to serve the Chicagoland area over the decades and hope for many more years of providing a much needed resource for textile recycling.

Green Benefits

Circular Economy

October 27, 2022

In learning about the importance of textile recycling and what we can do to be a part of the solution, we come across many unfamiliar terms, such as downcycle, chemical recycling and circular economy to name a few. Some of these we have defined in previous blogs, such as our blog on the difference between upcycle and downcycle and our blog on the 5 R’s. In this blog, we will learn more about the term “circular economy” and the role it plays in textile recycling.

What is a Circular Economy?

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines circular economy as “a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution.” (Found here) When textiles are thrown away and end up in landfills, they produce greenhouse gasses and leach harmful waste into the soil, which affects the environment. To fight textile waste, the circular economy is based on “three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials and regenerate nature.” (Found here) So why is a circular economy important for textiles?

Importance of Circular Economy

A circular economy is important for textiles due to the larger and larger environmental impact made by creating new textiles and disposing of old ones.

“The current system for producing, distributing, and using clothing operates in an almost completely linear way. Large amounts of nonrenewable resources are extracted to produce clothes that are often used for only a short period, after which the materials are largely lost to landfill or incineration. It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year. This linear system leaves economic opportunities untapped, puts pressure on resources, pollutes and degrades the natural environment and its ecosystems, and creates significant negative societal impacts at local, regional and global scales.” (Found here)

These resources used to create clothing will run out if continued in their current excess. Oil, fertilizers and water are used in great amounts to grow cotton and make other fibers for textiles.In addition to natural resources being compromised, greenhouse gas emissions are also contributing to the environmental impact of textile production and disposal. “In 2015, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from textiles production totalled 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined.” (Found here) A pivot toward a circular economy would drastically reduce these figures and have a profound effect on the future of our planet.

Circular Economy Changes

What would a circular economy look like for the textile industry? What changes need to be made to drastically improve how textiles are made and disposed of? There are four points that the Ellen MacArthur Foundation proposes to create systemic and lasting change. They are:

Phase out substances of concern and microfiber release
Transform the way clothes are designed, sold and used to break free from their increasingly disposable nature
Radically improve recycling by transforming clothing design, collection, and reprocessing
Make effective use of resources and move to renewable inputs

(Found here)

Each of these points are described in much greater detail in the report and broken down to show how these goals can be attained.

Phase Out Substances of Concern and Microfiber Release

This first point aims to change processes and production of how textiles are made in order to minimize dyes, water use, chemicals and other harmful environmental impacts from creating new textiles. In addition, it looks like changing the way they are made in order to drastically reduce or eliminate plastic microfibers created in the washing process of these textiles.

Transform the Way Clothes are Designed, Sold and Used to Break Free from their Increasingly Disposable Nature

Providing access to quality clothing through new business models and changing perception of clothing from disposable to durable are key components of moving toward sustainability and a circular economy.

Radically Improve Recycling by Transforming Clothing Design, Collection, and Reprocessing

Increasing collection of textiles and creating a big picture mentality connecting each phase of the lifecycle of textiles would enhance the body of recycled textiles overall and build a mindset of continued care from production to marketing to reuse to recycling to end of life.

Make Effective Use of Resources and Move to Renewable Inputs

Effects of a circular economy would greatly reduce the need for raw inputs as textile recycling increases and clothing is utilized in more long-lasting ways, including using renewable resources for creating new clothing.

The Hope for a Circular Economy

Though these changes may seem like a huge hurdle to overcome to create a circular economy, many companies and environmentalists are already making strides toward these goals. We have posted before about companies lowering their dye usage drastically, articles on the idea to add tracking mechanisms to clothing tags to follow textiles from creation to end of life, many designers and companies using recycled textiles in their businesses and designs and sustainable companies that care about all aspects of how their textiles are made, from the quality of life of the textile workers to the environmental effects of creating new clothing and how well the pieces are made. With laws being changed in different countries for the betterment of textile production and proposals such as this one from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the creation and recycling of textiles are being changed for the better, and for that we can hope for a future that involves a truly circular economy.

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!

Fast Fashion

Slow Fashion

July 18, 2022

Chicago Textile Recycling promotes the recycling and education around recycling of textiles. We care where your textiles end up when you no longer need or want them. We care about slowing the amount sent to landfills and the quality of items you choose to buy because eventually those items will leave your closet and higher quality items will last longer and have a better end in the secondhand and recycling market. We care that textiles are created with the environment and workers’ quality of life of high importance. And because we believe that fast fashion works against many of these things we care about and place importance on, we encourage our readers and recyclers to choose a lifestyle of “slow fashion”.

What is Slow Fashion?

So what is slow fashion and why is it important?

Put simply, slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. It encompasses an awareness and approach to fashion that considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. It advocates for buying better-quality garments that will last longer, and values fair treatment of people, animals, and the planet along the way. (Read more here)

These are all important pieces to the slow fashion movement…caring for our planet, our animals and our people in the decision on how our clothing is made. Where did this term ‘slow fashion’ come from? “The term ‘slow fashion’ came about quite organically. It was coined by Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, following the phenomena of the slow food movement.” (Found here)

We have highlighted before in our blog the importance of Choosing Consciously and 5 Ways to Fight Fast Fashion, and the Slow Fashion movement is one big way we can do both. The slow fashion movement is a purposeful response to fast fashion and about choosing consciously what we wear and buy based on how the item is made and the morals of the company behind it.

Differences Between Fast Fashion and Slow Fashion

Most people have heard the term ‘fast fashion’ and know what it entails, a fashion industry pushing for ever increasing sales of many times cheaply made items with no regard for the environment or the people making the clothing. In fast fashion, there is a push for numerous seasons of new styles every year.

Big brands used to release 2 main collections every year: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. These days, the fashion industry is at an all time crazy peak. The facts: the big names are releasing a whopping 52 “micro-seasons” per year. In other words, we’re looking at one collection / week. Fact is, the fast fashion industry is designed to make you think you are out of style after just one week. (Found here)

In stark contrast, slow fashion

…flips this model on its head with slower production schedules, slow-batch collections, and zero waste designs. Instead of chasing trends (and clogging our landfills), these brands utilize enduring styles with layering options and create classic and versatile pieces. This encourages customers to build minimalist wardrobes and invest in garments that they keep for a lifetime. (Read more here)

What are some characteristics of a slow fashion brand?

“Made from high quality, sustainable materials like linen”
“Garments are more timeless than trendy”
“Often sold in smaller (local) stores rather than huge chain enterprises”
“Locally sourced, produced and sold garments”
“Few, specific styles per collection, which are released twice or maximum three times per year, or a permanent seasonless collection”
“Often made-to-order to reduce unnecessary production”

(List found here)

Why Choose Slow Fashion?

After reading the description and characteristics of slow fashion, what is holding us back from choosing this new way of looking at and purchasing clothing? With constant pressure and advertising from the fast fashion industry, it can be hard to resist the temptation to constantly buy new pieces for our wardrobe. However, keeping in mind the principles of slow fashion, which “include: sustainable materials, fewer collections, fair trade, minimizing waste, making great use of resources and transparency,” (found here) can help each of us remember those things which are more important than donning the latest style. What helps you choose slow fashion? Share on our social media pages or contact us here to tell us why you choose slow fashion.

Green Benefits

Earth Day Happenings

March 30, 2022

April 22nd is Earth Day, and as the world is slowly opening up again to the possibility of a time after Covid-19, there are many fun ways to get involved this year and help clean up our planet. From park/forest clean ups to educational opportunities to playdates helping teach the next generation about the care of Mother Earth, Chicagoland is offering numerous events to show support this Earth Day.

Chicagoland Events

There are so many exciting events happening this Earth Day. This list does not contain all of them, so feel free to reach out to your local forest preserve or village hall to ask about local events also. Here are some of the events happening in the Chicagoland area.

April 16 (10-12) – Join the Chicago Rotary Club for a morning cleanup of Grant Park.
April 20 (4-5pm) – Palatine Library is offering an hour of Earth Day related stories, science and activities for ages 4-7. Sign up begins 4/6.
April 21 (10:30-12) – If you have kids that love nature, there will be a Nature Play Date at Lincoln Marsh in the Prairie Patch Play Area with activities and open play. Afterwards, there is a picnic lunch.
April 21 (1-1:30) – Come learn how to recycle and create art out of recycled materials at Naper Settlement.
April 22 (1-3) – Clean up litter in Schiller Woods – East. We will provide all of the supplies needed.
April 22 (11-1) – BackYard Nature Center is hosting an Earth Day Celebration at Erickson Woods in Winnetka. There will be hiking, stick carving, nature play and more.
April 22 (3:30-4:45) – Trailside Museum of Natural History is hosting After School Earth Day Activities of planting a tree, making a bird feeder or recycled art.
April 22 (10-2) – Clean up litter in Sauk Trail Woods – Central. We will provide all of the needed supplies.
April 22 (3:30-5:30) – There will be Earth Day Activities offered at Century Park Pavilion all afternoon for families.
April 23 (11-2) – Clean up litter in Beaubien Woods. We will provide all of the needed supplies.
April 23 (12-3) – Crabtree Nature Center is hosting family-friendly Earth Day Activities in their three acre nature play area.
April 24 (All Day) – There are so many fun Earth Day events happening at Brookfield Zoo.

Other Ways to Love our Planet

If you are unable to make one of the above events or a local one in your area, there are other ways to get involved this Earth Day. As noted in our Earth Day post from two years ago, attending an event is not the only way you can show love to our planet. Other ways to be involved are:

Start Your Own Compost

Find out how much garbage you can reduce by placing all of your food scraps into a compost bin instead.

Recycle Textiles

Clean out your closets and dresser this Earth Day and donate all items no longer needed to your closest CTR bin or partner resale store.

Pick Up Trash in Your Neighborhood

Simply step outside your front door to help care for our planet. Go on a family walk with a trash bag and gloves and see what litter you can help clean up around your neighborhood.

Plant Flowers to Attract Bumblebees and Butterflies

Look up which flowers attract butterflies and bumblebees and plant them in your yard to promote the longevity of these species and pollination.

To read more about these ideas on caring for our planet, click on the link above. And if you know of any other events happening in your area, please share them by commenting on the social media post so we can add them to our list. There are many simple ways to get involved and if we all work together and do our part, they all add up to big changes for our planet.

Green Benefits

15 Reasons to Recycle

February 28, 2022

Have you ever stopped for a moment as you are once again sifting through your closet or dresser, deciding what to give away, and asked yourself, “Why is it even important to recycle these? What good does it do?” Our answer is that those are great questions! There are countless reasons to recycle textiles. From the health of our planet to decreasing demand in sweatshops to helping others afford gently used clothing to serving communities, there are so many reasons to donate textiles and not simply throw them in the trash. Here is a list of some of the reasons we have come up with to recycle your textiles…

Reduce Waste in Landfill

The first reason to recycle your textiles is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. “More than 146 tons of municipal solid waste (50.0 percent) were landfilled in 2018.” (data found here) From this number, 11.3 million tons of textiles were landfilled in 2018. Both of these numbers increased from 2017 to 2018. Reducing waste sent to landfills has numerous benefits, from saving villages and cities money to slowing the number of landfills needed to accommodate our waste to reducing harmful greenhouse gasses emitted by landfill waste.

Reduce Greenhouse Gasses

The second reason to recycle your textiles is to reduce greenhouse gasses being emitted by landfills. “[Landfilled textiles’] lack of oxygen leads to decomposition through anaerobic digestion, which means that microorganisms break down the organic manner, producing byproducts like methane. Produced consistently and uncontrollably, methane escapes into the atmosphere, harming our air quality and our planet.” (quote found here) Reducing the number of textiles being sent to landfills can improve the air quality, and in turn improve the health of our planet.

Helps Others in Low Income Households

In addition to improving air quality and the health of our planet, recycling textiles also helps others in low income situations. “Selling gently used clothing at a discounted price can help families and individuals dress themselves with dignity and style without breaking the bank. This can help increase self esteem and even help one more easily gain better employment and social mobility.” (quote found here)

Helps Others in Your Community

In addition to helping those in low income households, recycling textiles also supports your community. When you recycle textiles locally, most charity shops or thrift stores use money from sales to pay it forward to different charities and organizations nearby. Whether it is a women’s shelter, or job training facility or serving the homeless, you can feel good about knowing your donations are helping others in your community. And of course, this is in addition to the other benefits of taking care of our planet.

Reduces Energy and Water Consumption

“Every piece of clothing you’re wearing has gone through a complex manufacturing process that uses a high amount of electricity, water, and other energy sources. Recycling clothes saves energy by reducing…the need to make materials from scratch.” (found here) How much does this help? “Manufacturing products produced from raw materials requires consuming a lot of non-renewable energy – up to 95% more energy utilized during the production of virgin materials as opposed to recycled materials.” (found here) Reducing the use of non-renewable resources helps care for our planet.

Sends Message to Fast Fashion

Another reason to recycle textiles and buy secondhand is to send a message to fast fashion that you are not okay with their current business practices. From constantly rotating fashions to never-ending new product lines, fast fashion produces constant pressures to keep up and buy more and more. By choosing to consciously step out of that pressure and focus on making conscientious choices about how you care for the clothes that you own and the new items you do buy, you can send the message by not supporting what fast fashion has to offer. Fast fashion companies AND consumers are responsible for making a new way for consumerism with more ethical practices and more environmentally-friendly methods of production.

Fewer Sweatshops

“The demand for clothing can often lead to outsourcing business practices that result in poor treatment of foreign workers and other basic rights violations.” (found here) In Pietra Rivoli’s 2005 book, “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy,” she writes,

“According to figures from the U.S. National Labor Committee, some Chinese workers make as little as 12–18 cents per hour working in poor conditions. And with the fierce global competition that demands ever lower production costs, many emerging economies are aiming to get their share of the world’s apparel markets, even if it means lower wages and poor conditions for workers.”

Recycling textiles and buying secondhand reduces the demand for new clothing purchases and sends the message to fast fashion companies that consumers care for those who make their clothing and how it is made.

Helps Others in Developing Countries

In addition to helping those in low income households and supporting those in our communities, recycling textiles can also help others in developing countries. When recycled textiles are sent overseas, workers are employed to sort through bales and other workers are employed to help sell the products in the market. The employment of workers and sale of these used textiles can help bolster a country’s economy when it is struggling to thrive.

Protecting the Planet for Future Generations

“The resources on this planet are ultimately finite. The two key fibers in the textile industry are cotton and polyester which represent over 85% of global fiber production. Cotton relies on a finite land mass for agriculture and competes with food production. Polyester relies on finite sources of oil (petroleum based) and its extraction is damaging to the environment.” (found here)

In addition to depleting finite resources in producing new textiles, there are many harmful environmental factors with sending textiles to landfills. From reducing waste and greenhouse gasses to reducing contaminated groundwater and deadly diseases, there are numerous reasons to recycle textiles to help protect our planet. Instead of contributing to its demise and playing a further role in the problem, we each can choose to help our planet become a cleaner and better place to live, both for ourselves and future generations.

Reduces Demand for Dyes and Fixing Agents

Another reason to recycle textiles is to reduce the need for dyes and fixing agents that contaminate groundwater.

“Textile products use dye when manufacturing from virgin sources – recycling allows less production and usage of harmful dyes. Many dyes do not degrade in water, while others produce harmful substances that leach into surrounding soil and groundwater. Recycling reuses materials that have already been dyed, which helps in reducing wastewater – another major contributor to large amounts of pollution.” (found here)

This is yet another factor in taking care of our planet. We have posted before about companies that are finding ways to reuse dyes in their textiles or ways around this harmful practice. By recycling textiles and buying secondhand, we can slow the process of this contamination.

Recycling Saves Money

Contamination also occurs in landfills, which can cost villages and towns a large amount of money to maintain and clean up. When comparing costs of recycling facilities and landfills, “landfilling can be three times more expensive than recycling. The health cost benefits from reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emissions can add up to more than $55.00 per ton less than landfilling.” What causes these higher costs for landfills? “Landfills eventually leak. The toxic waste can seep into the ground, contaminating soil and water. Cleanup costs run into tens of millions of dollars [to] taxpayers.” (quotes found here)

Reduces Contaminated Groundwater

As mentioned in the previous two reasons for textile recycling, contaminated groundwater is a serious issue affected by production of new textiles and sending old textiles to landfills. The wastewater that results from using harmful dyes and fixing agents in textile production leeches into groundwater and pollutes water used by communities and wildlife. Textiles that are non biodegradable sent to landfills eventually leak toxic waste into surrounding soil and water, also affecting surrounding communities and wildlife. “Landfills leach a myriad of pollutants that range from heavy metals to priority pollutants to organic compounds that contaminate groundwater. Once groundwater is contaminated it is impossible to clean up and the EPA recommends abandoning the source.” (found here)

Recycling Creates Jobs

“For each one job that is created by a landfill, recycling processing can create 10 new jobs, and an additional 25 jobs are created by recycling-based manufacturers.” In textile recycling, there are nearly countless jobs to fill: thrift store employees, graders, sorters, downcyclers, barge operators and shipyard workers, researchers, entrepreneurs, chemical recyclers, designers, seamstresses, jobs for you and me who sell used items on internet platforms, and on and on.

Reduces Deadly Diseases

One more reason to recycle textiles is to reduce potential deadly diseases from contamination in landfills. In their post on reasons to recycle, Cacala states “inhaling greenhouse gasses can lead to respiratory ailments, and contaminated water leads to infectious diseases like typhoid, diarrhea, and dysentery.” When we choose to recycle textiles, we decrease the amount that is headed into landfills, thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted and reducing the amount of pollutants contaminating the groundwater.

Buying Used is Fashionable

“Repurposed, recycled, and reused clothing is gaining a larger niche each year in modern society. Thrift store finds are not only good for the environment, humanity, and your wallet, but they are also actually very fashionable.” (found here) We have posted before about buying used and vintage at the Holidays for a one of a kind piece to give to those you love. Resale sites are growing exponentially and include millions of sellers and buyers scouting items for rare and vintage, as well as everyday used items in good condition. In our previous blog on the Conscious Closet, Elizabeth Cline talks about purchasing vintage items in thrift stores and on online resale platforms to create her capsule wardrobe and her own unique look.

Recycling Textiles

Here at Chicago Textile Recycling, we are thankful for each of you who chooses to donate old textiles. “By supporting an initiative like clothing recycling, you are not only taking action against overconsumption, violation of human rights, and environmental degradation, you are contributing to your own personal empowerment.” (found here) Textile recycling and shopping secondhand are small ways to help out in big ways. For more information about acceptable items or any questions you may have, please contact us.

Programs

Holiday Clutter

January 27, 2022January 25, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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.

Recycling

Companies Making a Difference

December 3, 2021December 2, 2021

At Chicago Textile Recycling, we are always interested in new ways of recycling textiles and closing the loop to reduce textile waste. Along the way, we have come across numerous companies making large strides to help close this gap and aid in reducing textile waste and/or pursue new technologies to recycle textiles. Here are several companies of many we have found and why they are essential to this environmental pursuit.

Circ

One company working to recycle polyester and cotton fabric is Circ, based in Danville, Virginia and founded by Peter Majeranowski and Conor Hartman.

“The duo have been working on refining this recycling process which would enable them to not only recover the polyester, but also the cotton, and in a manner that would keep the integrity of the fibers intact,” says Hartman. This is the key distinction in their innovation, he adds. Breaking down polyester to its monomers results in a high-quality cotton cellulose, Majeranowski explains, which can serve as a replacement for tree pulp (needed to make cellulosic fibers like lyocell, rayon/viscose, modal).”

For understanding how they use this cellulose, check out their website.

Evrnu

Another company helping to close the loop is Evrnu,

“the inventor and intellectual property owner of a wide range of regenerative fiber technologies, which enable entirely new products to be made from discarded clothing, not just once but multiple times. Products made with NuCycl by Evrnu can be disassembled to the molecular level and regenerated multiple times into new clothing, home and industrial textiles with extraordinary performance and environmental advantages. The technology uses repolymerization to convert the original fiber molecules into new high performing renewable fibers. Even the toughest type of textile waste – 100% post-consumer – can be turned into new materials with NuCycl.”

Founded by Stacy Flynn and Christopher Stanev, Evrnu is committed to changing the future of textiles with recycling technologies.

Renewcell

Renewcell, a technology company founded in 2012 and based in Stockholm, desires to close the loop for textiles:

“Our recycling technology dissolves used cotton and other cellulose fibers and transforms them into a new, biodegradable raw material: Circulose® pulp. Our customers use it to make biodegradable virgin quality viscose or lyocell textile fibers. This is the link that has been missing from the cycle. We close the loop.”

What exactly is circulose? “Circulose® is a branded ‘dissolving pulp’ product that Renewcell makes from 100% textile waste such as worn-out jeans and production scraps.” Two years after being founded, a model walked the runway wearing a yellow dress created from Renewcell’s technology using recycled blue jeans. As demand grows, Renewcell is building relationships with and creating recycled garments for numerous clothing companies.

Worn Again

With multiple companies working toward recycling polyester and cotton textiles, Worn Again is taking up the challenge to recycle polyester blends, one of the harder fabrics to separate for recycling.

“We are focussed on solving the challenging issue of converting polyester and polycotton blended textiles, and PET plastic, at their end of use, back into circular raw materials. Our advanced recycling technology is able to separate, decontaminate and extract polyester and cellulose (from cotton) from non-reusable textiles and polyester bottles and packaging to produce dual PET and cellulose outputs, therefore putting sustainable resources back into production supply chains.”

The process used by Worn Again “allows these materials to go back into manufacturing, moving away from linear supply chain to a circular system.”

Sustainable Composites

All of the companies we have mentioned so far aim to recycle cotton and polyester fabrics, but Sustainable Composites focuses on recycling a different material – leather.

“Up to 75% of traditional leather is unused and is often disposed of by being sent to landfill or incineration. Sustainable Composites LLC has developed a patented, totally unique, technically advanced material made from leather waste which changes the environmental landscape for leather products. It is a new application of fiber technology, using only leather fiber derived from waste leather, to produce a responsible product with the attributes only previously available with traditional leather.”

On their website, Sustainable Composites states that “Up to 75% of traditional leather is unused and is often disposed of by being sent to landfill or incineration.” This company is working to change that by recycling leather waste and making durable and quality products made to last.

BlockTexx

Though textile to textile recycling is pursued by many companies, BlockTexx recycles textiles and turns them into other products as well, such as packaging and building products in addition to textiles. Some of the end products are even used in pharmaceutical and food industries.

“BlockTexx owns proprietary technology that separates polyester and cotton materials such as clothes, sheets and towels of any colour or condition back into their high value raw materials of PET and Cellulose for reuse as new products for all industries. The recovered PET is polymerised to create virgin-quality S.O.F.T. branded rPET plastic pellets and polyester fibre suitable for use in textiles, packaging, building products. The recovered cellulose is processed to create S.O.F.T. branded cellulose powder for use in many industries such as textile, pharmaceutical and food.”

Fabscrap

Also working to close the loop is one company we’ve posted about before, Fabscrap. Based in New York City, this company collects primarily pre-consumer waste from designers, organizes it and offers it for purchase to design students or anyone else interested in creating textile products from the fabric. For donated fabric that can’t be reused, Fabscrap

“can shred any fabric of any blend, as long as there’s no spandex in it. The result is fluffy fiber pulp called shoddy that is used in many things: insulation, carpet padding, mattress stuffing, moving blankets, even refrigerated meal delivery boxes. So this is not technically recycling—it’s substantially extending the life of fibers.”

As more designers have learned about this great company, it has expanded to a second location in Philadelphia, as well as now offering an online presence. “For other waste—fabrics and even materials such as scrap leather—we redistribute or resell. We have fabric thrift stores in our warehouses, including now in Philadelphia, that are open to the public, plus an online store.”

Weturn

Lastly, Weturn, based in France, recycles unused pre-consumer textiles back into yarn to be reused for creating new textiles. “Our job is to recycle unsold textiles from fashion houses into new quality yarn with a focus on traceability, profitability and information.” This company offers something slightly different from those previously mentioned. Companies that donate textiles can trace the process Weturn uses from start to finish, including the sale of recycled yarn, profiting from their donations of unused pre-consumer textiles.

So Many More

These eight companies devoted to textile recycling and closing the loop are only a small sampling of the many companies in the world devoted to this pursuit. We are hopeful at Chicago Textile Recycling that as more and more people recognize the need for textile recycling and creating textiles more sustainably, the day will come soon when the problem of textile waste will be a thing of the past.

Bad Bin Operators

Illinois Law for Bin Operators

SMART Bin Operator Code of Conduct

How Can You Help

Global Recycling Day – March 18

Earth Hour – March 25

Earth Day – April 22

Fashion Revolution – Week of April 24

We Can Care All Year Long

For-Profit vs Non-Profit

Local Business

Benefits Global Economy

Effective Resource

Our Hope

What is a Circular Economy?

Importance of Circular Economy

Circular Economy Changes

Phase Out Substances of Concern and Microfiber Release

Transform the Way Clothes are Designed, Sold and Used to Break Free from their Increasingly Disposable Nature

Radically Improve Recycling by Transforming Clothing Design, Collection, and Reprocessing

Make Effective Use of Resources and Move to Renewable Inputs

The Hope for a Circular Economy

My! How You’ve Grown!

Pants and Shorts

Shirts

Pajamas

Underwear and Swimsuits

Socks and Shoes

Outerwear

Back to School Shopping

What is Slow Fashion?

Differences Between Fast Fashion and Slow Fashion

Why Choose Slow Fashion?

Chicagoland Events

Other Ways to Love our Planet

Start Your Own Compost

Recycle Textiles

Pick Up Trash in Your Neighborhood

Plant Flowers to Attract Bumblebees and Butterflies

Reduce Waste in Landfill

Reduce Greenhouse Gasses

Helps Others in Low Income Households

Helps Others in Your Community

Reduces Energy and Water Consumption

Sends Message to Fast Fashion

Fewer Sweatshops

Helps Others in Developing Countries

Protecting the Planet for Future Generations

Reduces Demand for Dyes and Fixing Agents

Recycling Saves Money

Reduces Contaminated Groundwater

Recycling Creates Jobs

Reduces Deadly Diseases

Buying Used is Fashionable

Recycling Textiles

Re-Gift or Swap

Donate

Donate to Refuge

Donate Blankets & Winter Wear to Homeless

Toys to Hospitals

Books to Schools & Libraries

Return or Exchange

Sell

Options Abound

Circ

Evrnu

Renewcell

Worn Again

Sustainable Composites

BlockTexx

Fabscrap

Weturn

So Many More

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