Where to Recycle CTR’s Unacceptable Items

Chicago Textile Recycling accepts numerous items through their donation bins around the Chicagoland area.  However, there are some restrictions on what we accept. For a full list of acceptable and unacceptable items, click here.  For those items that we are unfortunately unable to accept, we want to share some places and organizations that do accept these items, or ways you can reuse these items, so that you as the recycler are still informed about outlets for recycling your textiles.

Carpet

While we have posted before about Aquafil, a company based in Italy that has opened two carpet recycling plants in Arizona and California, they have not yet reached us as an option in the Midwest. However, there are a few other options in our area if you find yourself buying new carpet and want to help keep textiles out of landfills by recycling your old carpet. 

Many companies that install new carpet offer removal options that drop off your old carpet and padding at a local recycling or reclamation facility. If the company doesn’t offer recycling as an option or you are installing it yourself, the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County provides a few options in the area, as well as encouraging donation to Freecycle or Habitat for Humanity Restores.

Either of these would be a great choice as it allows your carpet to be loved once again by someone who may not be able to afford new carpet. To donate to a Habitat for Humanity Restore, your old carpet is required to be clean and in good condition. There are several locations around Chicagoland (Addison, Gurnee, Elgin), so find the closest location and contact them for further info. The great benefit of donating to Habitat for Humanity is knowing your donation benefits someone in need.

Pillows and Cushions

Although we do accept pillowcases, Chicago Textile Recycling does not have the facilities to recycle cushions or batting inside pillows.  For that reason, we are unable to accept pillows and cushions in our bins. However, we have found several options around the area where you can donate as well as an alternative option for simply sprucing up your living space.

When looking to revamp your living space, get creative and buy fabric at your local fabric store to sew new pillowcases for your throw pillows.  This alone can sometimes do the trick and completely change the look of a room. If you are not feeling crafty, Etsy and Hobby Lobby as well as other retail options provide already made pillow covers for sale. These can range in price, but are typically inexpensive, and once you’ve changed the cover, remember to recycle your old pillow covers with us.  In the same way, you can make or buy new cushion covers also.

If you definitely want to replace the cushions completely, one option to recycle would be to call your local animal shelters. Many animal shelters accept used cushions and pillows in good condition as well as linens for their animal bedding. You could help make a dog or cat feel a little cozier while they wait to be adopted.

For pillows that are in good shape, with no rips or stains or smells, donate them to your local resale shop if they accept these items. Remember to call ahead to double check. And as with carpet mentioned in the previous section, Freecycle is another option and resource.

Large Luggage

Another item we are unable to accept in our bins is large luggage. Due to size restrictions, and risk of blocking the opening of the bin, we cannot accept any items too large in size. However, resale stores accept luggage of all sizes and can accommodate most sizes of luggage you have to donate. 

Another great option would be Suitcases for Kids, an organization that accepts used luggage in good condition for kids in foster care. Many times, these children and teens are traveling between foster homes with trash bags full of their personal possessions. This organization plus others work toward foster care children receiving luggage to travel with instead of trash bags. Suitcases for Kids encourages those interested in donating to contact their local branch of the Department of Social Services, Children’s Protective Services, or local Foster Care Agencies to ask about making donations.

Lastly, buying a Zero Waste Box from TerraCycle helps divert luggage from landfill. Although a slightly expensive option, if recycling is important to you, it is worth the money and there is always the option to ask around for others interested in donating luggage to buy a zero waste box with you to reduce costs and encourage others in their recycling goals too.

Car Seats

Due to all the extra components that make up a carseat that are not textiles, we do not accept car seats at CTR. However, there are multiple other ways you can recycle car seats that are no longer used. 

Wal-Mart just finished a week long program accepting old car seats to recycle through TerraCycle and paying each recycler a $30 gift card for their donation. This program was so popular that they had to end it early due to the overwhelming number of donations.  Several times a year, Target offers a similar program in their stores, sharing 20% off coupons for baby products with each car seat brought in to recycle.

Also moms’ groups would be a great way to connect with other moms and offer up old car seats. Other parents would be thrilled to save the money spent on new car seats and you are purging what you no longer need. Another option could be local women’s shelters; just remember to call and inquire first.

Sleeping Bags

Though there aren’t currently any local companies that recycle sleeping bags, there are many ways you can reuse them and pass them along to help someone else.

Goodwill and other resale stores accept donated sleeping bags in good condition, and for children’s sleeping bags, you could even make money selling them at children’s consignment shops or sales in your area.

To know you’re helping those in need, call local animal shelters as they typically accept different bedding and pillows, including sleeping bags for the animals they have in their care. Also calling around local homeless shelters could prove effective as some take old sleeping bags, and if not, there are many homeless people not in shelters living on the streets that could benefit from an extra layer of warmth. Another alternative, as with other items mentioned previously, Freecycle accepts many items others may not and you would be helping others who may not be able to afford that item.

Chicago Textile Recycling cares about our planet, and we care about the textiles that are filling up our landfill instead of being disposed of in environmentally friendly ways.  We are excited to recycle what we can of your donated textiles AND we are excited to share different ways and places where you can recycle what is beyond our facility capabilities.  If you know of other places that recycle or accept these items or other items on our Unacceptable list, please reach out to us and let us know. We want to provide as much information to our recyclers and followers as we can on recycling textiles.