Be Textile Savvy: Reuse/Donate/Recycle

Summary: Reuse options for household items and textiles

Description

On Nov. 1, 2022 Massachusetts banned most textiles from disposal or disposal transport. Fortunately, there are many ways textiles can be reused, donated or recycled, including items that are ripped, worn or stained.

Reuse is a better choice than recycling in many cases. Know the options so you can responsibly get rid of textile items you no longer need!

Take a look under the tab STEPS TO TAKE for some options. 

Deep Dive

Steps to Take

Have textiles that are no longer usable? Don’t trash them! ALL textiles that are clean and dry can be donated, even if they are ripped, worn or stained. They are sorted for their best purpose…if they can be reused, they are reused. Not good enough for reuse, they become rags, not good enough for rags/wiping cloths, the textiles are turned into things like carpet padding. Who knew?

According to MassDEP, residents and businesses of MA previously disposed of 230,000 tons of textiles each year, with the average person generating 81 pounds of textile waste!

Textiles include clothing, linens, curtains, belts, shoes, bags & even stuffed animals. Please don’t trash this valuable resource. As long as it is clean & dry, it can be donated or recycled.

Your donations not only remove textiles from the waste stream, but 45% of the content is reused as clothing, 30% is turned into wiping cloths, and 20% is converted to fibers. Only 5% is considered unusable.

Donate or Recycle:

A. At the Medfield Transfer Station, there are 12 textile collection bins past the recycling compactors, on the right. These bins benefit many charities including: Big Brother Big Sister Foundation, MADD, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army, the Epilepsy Foundation, Goodwill, the American Red Cross and the Medfield PTOs.

B. Around town, there are also Bay State Textiles/Medfield PTO bins located at each of the schools and at Hinkley Pond.

C. Special Collections. There are various textile collection days scheduled at the Transfer Station throughout the year. We partner with Baystate Textiles and CMRK for special collections.

Please remember to bag all donations and never leave out next to a collection box- there are lots of drop off location options!

Shop Mindfully:

- Support local consignment, thrift and vintage stores by purchasing gently used items.  It saves money while eliminating waste and supporting these businesses, which are often locally owned. You can also find great second-hand items online through ThreadUp or Facebook Marketplace.

- Consider brands and retailers supporting textile recycling, such as Madewell, Levis, North Face, Patagonia, Allbirds and Rothy’s to name a few. to name a few.  Some retailers take in textiles for recycling.

- Avoid “fast fashion” by purchasing fewer, higher quality clothing pieces.  Ask yourself if you really need the extra item or if it is an impulse purchase.

Learn more about the Transfer Station and all programs for diverting items from the trash: https://www.town.medfield.net/189/Medfield-Transfer-Station

If you have a Transfer Station sticker but are not on the TSARC newsletter mailing list, email medfieldtsarc@gmail.com and request to be added to the newsletter.

If you don’t have a sticker, you can get info at: http://www.town.medfield.net/189/Medfield-Transfer-Station

For more info on textile recycling in MA, visit: https://www.mass.gov/guides/textile-recovery

This ACTION was written by the Transfer Station and Recycling Committee.