Newington
to offer Curbside Textile Recycling Service:
Starting on 10/29/18, the Town of Newington will begin offering a convenient new
recycling service for residents, curbside collection of used textiles and small household items. This new service will be provided by Simple Recycling and will be free to the town and
free to residents.
How It Works
Simple
Recycling will send informational mailers to residents who receive recycling
collection from the town. The mailers will contain free Simple
Recycling bags. When cleaning out
closets or disposing of unwanted clothes and small household items, residents
can place them in the bags. Residents
can then place the bags at the curb near their recycling container on their normal recycling collection day. Simple
Recycling’s trucks will pick them up, free of charge.
When Simple
Recycling collects bags from a residence, the collection worker will leave
replacement bags at the curb. If a resident
has a lot of material to get rid of, and doesn’t have enough bags, then that’s
no problem. It’s OK to use regular trash
bags that are clearly marked for Simple Recycling. Residents can also contact Simple Recycling
for more bags here.
Benefits for the Environment
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more
than 84% of old clothes, shoes, belts, handbags, and textile items end up in a
landfill or an incinerator?1 In fact, the average person in America throws away more than 85 lbs. of textile items each year.2 Textiles make up more than 6% of all the residential and municipal trash in the US.3 Every ton diverted from the waste
stream saves the town money in disposal costs.
Clothing and textiles require a lot of resources to make,
including water, fertilizer, and pesticides for growing natural fibers like
cotton, as well as petroleum to make synthetic fibers. When we reuse and
recycle textiles, it conserves the resources used to make them.
Items Accepted
· Used or New Clothing -men’s, women’s, children’s | · Kitchenware |
· Boots & Shoes | · Linens |
· Bedding- sheets, pillow cases, blankets, comforters | · Pillows |
· Belts & Ties | · Sandals & Slippers (in pairs) |
· Books | · Socks (single or in pairs) |
· Bras | · Stuffed Animals |
· Coats & Jackets | · Table Linens |
· Fashion Accessories | · Tools |
· Handbags & Purses | · Towels |
· Hats & Gloves | · Toys |
· Undergarments | |
Notes:
1. Advancing Sustainable Materials Management,
2014 Fact Sheet, released November 2016, US Environmental Protection
Agency, p. 8
2. Ibid. Pounds per person is calculated by dividing
total US disposed textiles tonnage in 2014 by the US population in 2014, per
the US Census (318.6 million).
3. Ibid.