Over 12 million tons of unwanted textiles are dumped in U.S. landfills every year, and most people are unaware of the damage this is causing to the environment.
NPR's Morning Edition brought needed attention to this neglected issue in their recent report, "How Not Recycling Old Clothes Can Hurt the Environment."
Americans may think they donate all of their used clothes, but only 15 percent of textiles are reused. That means a lot of fabric ends up in landfills.—from How Not Recycling Old Clothes Can Hurt the Environment, NPR Morning Edition
While the vast majority of the clothing Americans no longer want is being thrown away, landfill capacity is dwindling in the United States. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, for example, remaining landfills will be filled and closed down in just 12 years.
Studies show that much more material can be diverted from the waste stream. Moreover, people want to recycle more, but will only do so if it is easy and convenient. In the case of textiles, a ready way to increase convenience is to have more local drop off bins available to serve the public. This can help save valuable resources, avoid the expenditure of tax dollars on disposal, reduce landfill impacts, and help lower emissions of greenhouse gasses.
Planet Aid collects approximately 100 million pounds of unwanted textiles per year through its 21-state network of 20,000+ clothing drop off bins. We want to serve your community too. Contact us to find out if we can place a bin where you live.