Recycle Non-Wearable Clothing and Shoes

Posted by Joyce Benson   1 Comment

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To start off the new year right, you may be cleaning out your closets to make room for new holiday gifts of clothing and shoes.  Likely, you have a pile of old pieces that are still useable, but some are probably not wearable any longer.  It’s easy to donate your wearable clothing to local thrift stores, consignment shops and bins put out by non-profit organizations in shopping center parking lots.  But, what do you do with the worn out items?  By donating, you’ll help divert the billions of pounds of textiles clogging our landfills.

One option is to donate non-wearable clothing, blankets, towels, etc., to your local animal shelter where they’ll be used as animal bedding.

Another way to give your old clothes, rags and shoes a new purpose is to find organizations and companies that will recycle these items into new goods.  Here’s a list of a few places that accept these items:

• New York City residents can drop off clothing, shoes, handbags, belts, curtains, linens, and towels at several GreenMarket Farmers Markets.
• Nike’s Re-use-a-shoe program:  bring up to 10 pairs of shoes to any of their collection locations in Nike retail stores, universities, athletic clubs, and at special events.
• The Unique Boutique Thrift Shop in Boone, NC.
• City of Overland Park Community Recycling Center in Overland Park, KS.
• California residents can visit StopWaste.org for locations that accept scrap clothing and remnants.

photo by Fred Hsu

Tag(s): Going Green, Green Cleaning, Greening the Home, Recycling

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