Do you have textiles that are no longer usable? Don’t trash them! ALL textiles that are clean and dry can be donated. When received, they are sorted for their best purpose … if they can be reused, they are reused … if not good enough for reuse, they become rags … if not good enough for rags or wiping cloths, the textiles are turned into things like carpet padding. Who knew?
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 destroyed. Pretty good!
Textiles include fabric and leather: clothing, linens, curtains, belts, shoes, and stuffed animals. Please don’t trash this valuable resource. When you’ve got unneeded textiles cluttering up your home, pass them on! Putting unwanted items back into circulation conserves water, trees, and fossil fuels needed to make new products and their packaging. By giving things away instead of trashing them, you’ll be doing the Earth — and your neighbors — a favor.
According to Bay State Textiles, over 25 billion pounds of textiles enter the solid waste stream every year nationwide. Ninety percent or more of that tonnage could be made into other products or recycled as clothing. To reuse textiles and recycle the rest, Boxborough is working with Bay State Textiles, a growing local company that serves over 180 towns and cities in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
With bins at the Library and the Transfer Station, Bay State Textiles gives Boxborough $100 for every ton of textiles. The bins at the Library are available every day, at any hour. You are welcome to place your items in plastic bags and insert them into a bin. If a bin is full, try a different bin or wait a few days. The bins are emptied regularly. Please don’t leave a bag on the outside of the bins. The Transfer Station is open twice a week, Wednesday and Saturday. Residents buy Transfer Station stickers and Seniors receive free stickers.
Here is a list of items Bay State will and won’t accept.
Click the Steps to Take tab above to learn more!