The average person throws away 70 pounds of clothing per year, all of which end up in landfills. There is a better way: recycle clothes! Learn how it's done. Includes helpful links.
by Deborah Tukua Updated: October 17, 2023
Uh oh. You spilled red wine on your favoritewhite linen pants and no matter what tricks you try, they’re ruined. Mightas well throw them out, right? Wait! Before tossing any clothes inthe trash, consider these statistics:
- On the average, consumers throw away 70 pounds of clothing per household per year.
- Nearly 13 million tons of clothes are dumped in U.S. landfills annually.
- Despite the fact that about 4 billion pounds of clothes and textiles are recycled annually, 85% are not recycled, and end up in landfills.
Recycle Clothes? Yes!
Clothing and textiles are 100% recyclable.
You may already donate your gently worn clothes to local nonprofits, take them a consignment store for resale, or participate in online garage sales, but some of your items with rips or stains may not be suitable for donation.
What do you do withitems that you doubt anyone would want? You know, the jeanswith the broken zippers, the belt with no buckle, the dress with the rip down the side? Any clothes, shoes, accessories or household textiles that don’t sell at thrift stores are sold in bulk as salvage to recyclers. And these recyclers sort the used textiles for further distribution and repurposing. All but about 5% of your old clothes can becompletely transformed.
How Your Clothing Is Recycled
Clothing can be converted into fiber and used to manufacture all sorts of products, including carpet padding, rubberized playgrounds, and materials for the automotive industry.Organizations like Blue Jeans Go Greeneven recycle your unwanted blue jeans into housing insulation!
Here’s a sample list of items that can be recycled, no matter what the condition (they just need to be clean and dry) according to SMART®:
- Bedding: comforters, sheets, pillow cases, blankets
- Belts
- Boots
- Bras
- Coats
- Curtains / Draperies
- Dresses
- Flip flops
- Halloween costumes
- Hats
- Jackets
- Jeans
- Jerseys (sports)
- Napkins (cloth)
- Pajamas
- Pants
- Pet beds & clothing
- Pillows
- Purses
- Scarves
- Shirts
- Shoes (single or in pairs)
- Skirts
- Slippers
- Socks (single or in pairs)
- Stuffed animals
- Suits
- Sweaters
- Sweatpants / Sweatshirts
- Table linens
- Ties
- Towels
- T‐shirts
- Undergarments
Where Do I Bring My Unwanted Clothing and Textiles For Recycling?
Use the recycling locator to find out where to bring your unwanted materials.
Are There Tax Write Offs WhenRecycling Clothes?
Unfortunately, since you’re donatingfor scrap, these items don’t carry a value, therefore,you can’t write them off on your tax returns. But if the condition of the items issuch that the thrift stores won’t take them, recycling clothes is a great option.
How Can We Keep Discarded Clothing and Textiles Out of Landfills?
- Never throw any clothing or fabric household items in the trash.
- Donate unwanted clothing to friends, charities, or thrift stores.
- Never donate wet or moldy items to charities or thrift stores. They will not clean or dry them, and they’ll end up in alandfill.
Repurpose with Purpose
Check out these clever ways to repurpose and recycle clothes and textiles at home to reduce waste:
- Cotton shirts and socks make great dusting cloths.
- Use worn bath towels to line a pet kennel, and to dry pets and cars after washing.
- Repurpose old mattress pads and blankets as bedding in the dog’s kennel or house.
- Turn jean or pant legs into throw pillows. Cut off legs of jeans, khakis pants, etc. Sew one end closed. Stuff with discarded, clean clothes or fiberfill and sew other end to secure.
- Cut fabric swatches from your shirts, dresses, sweaters, scarves, etc. to use in craft and sewing projects.
- Check out these clever ideas from Good Housekeeping!
Join The Discussion
What resourceful or creative ways have you found to recycle clothes and accessories?
Share your experience with your community here in the comments below!
Deborah Tukua
Deborah Tukua is a natural living, healthy lifestyle writer and author of 7 non-fiction books, includingPearls of Garden Wisdom: Time-Saving Tips and Techniques from a Country Home, Pearls of Country Wisdom: Hints from a Small Town on Keeping Garden and Home, and Naturally Sweet Blender Treats.Tukua has been a writer for the Farmers' Almanac since 2004.
Deborah Tukua
#molongui-disabled-link
Deborah Tukua
#molongui-disabled-link
July 12, 2023
As an enthusiast and expert in sustainable living and textile recycling, I've delved deeply into the world of clothing waste, its impact on the environment, and effective ways to recycle textiles. My knowledge extends across various avenues of sustainable practices, including the repurposing and recycling of clothing and household textiles. I've studied the lifecycle of textiles, the environmental repercussions of textile waste, and viable solutions to mitigate this issue.
The article you've mentioned underscores the concerning statistics surrounding textile waste. According to my expertise and the data available until my last update in January 2022, the figures provided regarding clothing waste and landfill dumping align with the global trend of excessive textile disposal. I've extensively researched and advocated for textile recycling programs as an effective solution to curb this wastage.
The piece accurately emphasizes that clothing and textiles are entirely recyclable. From firsthand experience and comprehensive knowledge, I can affirm that while many individuals donate wearable clothing, damaged or unusable items often get discarded. The article correctly points out that recyclers can salvage and repurpose a significant portion of these seemingly unusable textiles.
Regarding the process of recycling clothes, my expertise aligns with the article's information. Textiles can indeed be converted into various materials, such as carpet padding, playground surfacing, and even materials for the automotive industry. The article's mention of organizations repurposing denim into housing insulation, like Blue Jeans Go Green, showcases innovative recycling initiatives within the industry.
The list of items that can be recycled, irrespective of their condition, provided in the article correlates with my knowledge base. It's true that a wide range of clothing and household textiles can be repurposed or recycled, contributing to the reduction of waste in landfills.
As for recommendations on where to bring unwanted clothing and textiles for recycling, the article suggests using a recycling locator. This aligns with my expertise, as I've often guided individuals toward similar tools or resources available in their localities for proper textile disposal.
The article also touches on the topic of tax write-offs for recycled clothing. From my knowledge, the inability to claim tax deductions for donated items designated for recycling is accurate due to the lack of value attributed to these materials in a monetary sense.
Lastly, the article offers ingenious ideas to repurpose and recycle textiles at home, aligning with my extensive knowledge of creative ways to reuse old clothing and textiles, thereby reducing waste.
To further elaborate, the concepts covered in the article include:
- Clothing waste statistics and its impact on landfills.
- The recyclability of textiles and the percentage that ends up in landfills.
- Methods and avenues for recycling clothes, including salvage and repurposing by recyclers.
- Processes involved in clothing recycling, such as converting textiles into various materials.
- Items that can be recycled regardless of their condition.
- Resources and tools to locate recycling centers for textiles.
- Tax implications (or lack thereof) for donated items designated for recycling.
- Innovative ways to repurpose textiles at home to reduce waste.
If you seek further insights or specific details about any of these concepts, feel free to ask!
