FNYSWA 2014 SPRING CONFERENCE
TEXTILE RECYCLING WORKSHOP
Brooke NashMassDEPMay 20, 2014
Why Textiles?
The Numbers on Textiles
First waste characterization studies inMass Textiles = 4.9% of municipal solid waste
disposed in Massachusetts 230,000 tons per year disposed (based
on 2010 tonnage) 5.8% of residential waste disposed 3.7% of commercial/institutional waste
disposed
Textiles Summit – September 2011
Broad cross section of industry Charities Salvation Army Goodwill St. Vincent
Graders, brokers Wiping Cloth Manufacturers Fiber Converters State Recycling Organizaton
What we learned…
Textiles category is broad Bags, belts, hats, shoes, household linens,
holey socks…… 85% of textiles are going to disposal All but 5% can be reused/recycled Very forgiving market – the good, the bad
and the ugly Life cycle/market segments Non-profits and for-profits play critical role in
collection cycle
The “Perfect Recyclable”
Textiles are not: Hazardous Bulky or awkward to handle /store Smelly, attractive to vermin
Extensive collection infrastructure Stable market, high demand across
sectors Supports local business and non-profits Triple bottom line
The Take-Aways….
Need to communicate to public on widerange of textiles Break down misconceptions about what is
and isn’t acceptable to donate Consensus reached across all sectors “We want it all, with FEW exceptions”
Action Items from Summit
Create statewide outreach initiative (onshoe string budget) Hold regional workshops for municipal
recycling coordinators Issue joint press release (DEP/SMART) Take message to state/regional recycling
conferences Provide outreach tools, templates to
municipal coordinators
Local recycling coordinators are key!
Held 5 regional meetings Presented at 2 state conferences Panel representing all sectors of industry Big eye opener for everyone SMART publicized meetings to media Recycling coordinators energized – ready
to spread the word Non-profit, for-profit, municipal partnering
SMART Resources
Template textile event flyer Videos, PSAs – perfect for public access
cable Posters, display materials, handouts for
community events Recommendations on transparency policy School curriculum Regional coordination - textile collection
events
Cambridge, MA – maps textile donation spots
Growing awareness
Textile collections at DEP offices Municipal tours at Salvation Army,
Goodwill Habitat for Humanity ReStores Project Repat – Upcycling used t-shirts News stories in dailys, weeklies, recycling
columns Municipal websites, social media MassDEP Textile Recycling Updates
In the news…
Schools, Schools, Schools….
MassDEP’s Green Team e-newsletter to 400 teachers, administrators Link to SMART’s curriculum on textiles
School fundraising opportunity Environmental education Partnerships with for profit and non-profit
School Textile Recycling
Centerville Elementary – Green Team
Colleges/Universities
Huge source of textile waste College/University Recycling Council Textile panel – January 2014
Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN) Project RePat – upcycling t-shirts Goodwill – Boston University Bay State Textiles – Tufts Community colleges
Help for commercial generators
MassDEP Textile Web Page
Measuring progress
Charities and for profit recyclersexpanding collections: New permanent donation sites School partnerships Dozens of spring and fall events Curbside collection of textiles?
Goodwill Boston
“The area of greatest impact on us since workingwith DEP has been connections to municipalities.You have brought us straight to the source….
“Since 2011 we have opened 4 additional ADCswith plans to have 4 more open by June 2014. Thiscan be directly attributed to the work done by/withDEP and their ability to connect us withmunicipalities.
Email from Bill LaBelle – 3/26/13Director, Retail OperationsMorgan Memorial Goodwill Industries
More work to be done….
Populate searchable database (Eco-Point) Publish more case studies Grants to support outreach, collection Hold second “Textiles Summit”? Gather more data Survey textile recyclers? Mass Chapter of Reuse Alliance (SMART
on steering committee)
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