clean) clothing that can't be worn. I think it used to be donated to
places like Goodwill. I was told one of the Salvation Armies in
Minneapolis would accept old clothing for rag recycling, but have
gotten different answers depending on when I call.
I've now been all over the internet trying to find a way to keep my
stuff out of a landfill. (And I've taken out the frayed towels and
sheets to donate to one of the animal shelters).
Anybody out there know who might do textile recycling in or near St.
Paul?
And here are some fun facts from a 1997 report from the Institute for
Self-Reliance (when St. Paul still did recycle old textiles into
rags...)
Textile Recycling Facts
500 textile recycling companies in the U.S. divert
1.25 million tons of postconsumer textile waste each
year from landfills and incinerators
Most of these businesses are small, family-owned,
with fewer than 500 employees, the majority have
35 to 50 workers.
Textile recycling companies contribute to the local
tax-base; they generate $700 million dollars in
gross revenues each year.
Industry members recover about 93% of the textiles
they handle.
On a per-ton basis, textile recycling companies
sustain 37 times more jobs than landfills and
incinerators.
Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Council for Textile
Recycling
Seems like this could be a business opportunity for someone out there...
Elizabeth Dickinson
West Side