textile recycling

Recycling Dilemma #1010 – Textiles

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Landfills received 11.3 million tons of textiles in 2018 and that number is only growing. Turn your rags into resources by recycling clothing unsuited for donation to a textile recycler. 

Fashion trends come and go and when they do, your pile of last season’s cast-offs mount. Conscientious citizens donate these to their favorite charity for a shot at a new life with a new owner. But what to do if your used stuff isn’t up to snuff?

Always give pre-loved, gently worn clothing, furniture and home goods a new home before considering recycling or disposal. Check out the Township’s Donation Guide for a list of local donation centers with easy pickup and drop off options. If you frequent one of these organizations, ask them if they recycle their leftover textiles. Some locations accept scrap fabric and overly worn items separate from your good items and are able to make a profit selling their scrap to a recycler.

Bypass the landfill and turn your old rags into re-usable textile fibers that just might turn into next season’s must-haves.

It’s simple to schedule a pickup of worn textiles and home goods from the comfort of your home. Fill a kitchen bag with worn clothes, towels, and bedding – no matter the condition – and schedule pickup at your front door. Voila – instant recycling!

When you recycle textiles, you help the environment by…

…minimizing landfill footprint

Landfills serve their purpose but they’re lousy for the environment and a burden to taxpayers. Making room for our trash is expensive—never mind the loss of land set aside for this purpose.

Did you know? Every 2000 lbs. of clothing that’s kept out of the landfill has the same environmental impact as removing 2 cars from the road.

…reducing greenhouse gasses

A landfill is a hotbed of carbon dioxide and methane. Decomposing textiles ramp up those methane levels —the most significant contributor to climate change.

…conserving water and reducing chemical waste

Nearly every step of textile production depends on water—water that’s loaded with dyes and chemicals. The industrial waste byproduct is a major watershed pollutant in countries that lack environmental regulation.

Did you know? It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce one pair of jeans and 600 gallons to make that t-shirt you’re wearing.

It’s easy to be green and recycle textiles at your door!

If your items aren’t in good enough condition to donate, schedule a recycling pickup with a local textile recycling company such as Green City Recycler. Just follow the steps below.

Simple Recycling Cancels Curbside Service in The Woodlands

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Automatic curbside pickup of textiles in The Woodlands will end on November 20, 2020. Citing financial impacts from COVID-19, Simple Recycling is ceasing weekly curbside service in The Woodlands as well as similar operations in more than 30 cities and towns across Texas. Since 2017, The Woodlands Township has contracted with Simple Recycling to provide residential curbside collection and recycling of textiles and small household goods.  

Also known as the “Orange Bag Program,” Simple Recycling’s collections diverted over 60 tons of material annually away from the landfill, at no cost to the Township. Currently, no other companies in Texas provide no-call curbside textile collection and recycling.  

Although automatic weekly service has been cancelled, there are several local charitable organizations where you can request curbside pickup or drop off usable textiles and small household goods. For a list of locations and contact information, check out the Donation Guide. Unusable textiles, such as rags or torn or stained clothing, should be placed in the trash or repurposed, never placed in the recycle cart. 

For more information on recycling opportunities in The Woodlands, please contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department at 281.210.3800, or by email to enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

Recycling Dilemma #1006 – Cut Out Contamination

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Recycling conserves resources, saves energy, prevents pollution and reduces landfill space. We all have the best intentions to do right by recycling, but did you know that recycling correctly is just as important as deciding to recycle in the first place? 

In The Woodlands, we have a single-stream recycling program that allows all accepted recyclables to be placed in one container. Bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, cartons and glass can all go freely into one container, no sorting or bagging needed (in fact, you should never bag your recyclables). Because materials are commingled, they must be sorted when they get to the recycling center. 

Sorting equipment at the recycling center is designed  to sort only the items accepted in the program. All other items are considered contamination. Contamination damages equipment, creates unsafe work conditions for staff and decreases the value of recyclables. 

Did you know? In extreme cases, too much contamination can send an entire truck load of recyclables to the landfill. 

The most common contaminants to AVOID putting in your recycling cart are: 

  • Plastic Bags & Film – Return these to a local grocery store for proper recycling.  
  • Tanglers – No hoses, hangers, wires, chains or electronics. 
  • Clothing or Linens – Donate usable clothing and linens to local charitable organizations.  
  • Food and Liquid – Recyclables must be clean; remember to empty and rinse all containers. Greasy pizza boxes, paper plates and towels belong in the trash. 
  • Styrofoam or #6 Plastic – Look for the symbol. Only plastics labelled #1-5 are accepted

When in doubt, throw it out! Even better, call The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department for help with recycling right, 281-210-3800. 

Please remember to always follow Waste Management guidelines which can be found on the lid of your recycling cart. For more recycling resources, visit the Township’s recycling webpage.  

Textile Recycling Resumes

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As of November 20, 2020, Simple Recycling’s curbside service has been cancelled. View the press release here.

This free and EASY service provides residents of The Woodlands Township the option to recycle textiles, shoes and housewares right at the curb.  

Did You Know? 85% of clothing ends up in the landfill! Only 15% gets donated or recycled. We can change that!

It’s Simple!

  1. Use the orange bag that you have at home or request a new one from www.SimpleRecycling.com
  2. Stuff it with clothes, shoes, towels, sheets, rugs and rags. Any condition is fine. Toys, books and housewares accepted, too.
  3. Set the bag out with your trash and recycling carts (no need to call). Your items will be whisked away and a replacement bag will be tied onto your trash or recycling bin.

Consider donating to a charity first. Donation Centers may be closed at this time, but will be in need of your donations when they reopen. But, if the items are headed for the landfill already, why not simply recycle them curbside?  Find a full list of items accepted here.

For more information about the program, please visit www.SimpleRecycling.com or contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department at 281-210-3800.

Questions or comments? Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

Residents Recycled MORE at 3R Bazaar

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On Saturday, November 9, more than 800 residents enjoyed shopping local artists, free recycling, document shredding and learning about recycling at the 9th Annual 3R Bazaar! 3R Bazaar is a once a year recycling event with local resources available to educate on a number of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle as well as on-site recycling opportunities. Residents saved 13,817 lbs of material from the landfill by bringing hard to recycle items for free recycling. $1,485 and 850lbs of canned food items were collected from the document shredding service and donated to Interfaith of The Woodlands Food Pantry.

The 2019 Recycling Village Challenge item was batteries. The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. will award scholarship funds to villages based on the amount of batteries they collected.

Save the date for the next 3R Bazaar on Saturday, November 14, 2020 and watch for the new Recycling Village Challenge item, to be announced in January. Batteries will not count towards the 2020 Village Challenge but will be accepted along with eyeglasses, textiles, oral care products and documents for shredding. In the meantime, batteries can be recycled at Precinct 3 Recycling Facility, Batteries Plus Bulbs, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s or a Walmart Super Center.

Residents are encouraged to think beyond the curbside cart and take advantage of the wide variety of local recycling opportunities. A complete list of participating locations and the items they accept can be found here.

For more information about recycling, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/recycling or contact the Township Environmental Services Department at 281-210-3800. The 3R Bazaar is a free program of The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department with sponsorship from Waste Management, Southern Shred, Gullo Dealerships, Woodlands Water and The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N.

Questions or Comments? Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov