NYC loves textile recycling

In June of last year we made note of a promising new partnership between the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and Housing Works focused on collecting, reusing and recycling unwanted clothing, linens, shoes and clean rags. Less than a year after introducing the program, supporters have pronounced it a grand success. At a City Council hearing on Friday, DSNY officials reported that over 50 tons of textiles were donated in the first six months of the program. That amount is expected to rise to more than 300 tons for the second half of the first year once the high demand for donation bins are met.

The goal of the program, called re-FashionNYC, is to capture as much as possible of the 200,000 tons of textiles New Yorkers throw away each year, reducing the city’s garbage disposal costs and diverting a very large chunk of solid waste from landfills. While about 130 buildings are now taking part, DSNY is still processing requests and more than 1,000 inquiries. To participate, landlords, building managers or superintendents must sign up online and assign a staff member to monitor the bin in order to schedule pickups.

(via NYTimes Green Blog)