The Swarthmore Borough of Pennsylvania kicked off a new partnership with Community Recycling to encourage textile recycling and reuse while lessening landfill usage. By aligning forces, the two organizations hope to inform about the power of reuse, reduce landfill usage, recycle clothing and make the community greener.
The new program will provide Swarthmore residents a way to recycle items other than traditional curbside recyclables. Pulling clothes, shoes, bags and belts that are perfectly reusable from the waste stream and placing them in the hands of those who need affordable options the most is an easy way to reduce waste and increase diversion.
Community recycling is proud to be a for-profit recycler of textiles. They have flipped the recycling triangle upside down and have mastered the most powerful ‘R,’ REUSE, with all of the clothing collected destined for reuse by those in need of affordable options. With more than 70% of the world’s population dependent on second-hand goods, reusing the extra ‘stuff’ we all have makes great sense.
"Despite the fact that textile recycling is the oldest and greenest industry, you would be surprised to know just how often slightly used clothes, shoes, bags/belts or household items hit the waste stream when they can be reused,” said Lisa Pomerantz, VP Marketing and Business Development at Community Recycling. “Our goal is to connect the dots between the usable things that you have but no longer use, and the people who need them.”
“We are excited to embark on an ongoing textile program with Community Recycling,” said Jane Billings, Borough Manager. Having a consistent textile collection program in place allows us to both educate our community about reuse and landfill diversion. In this day and age, both things are quite relevant.”
“If we can ALWAYS think about the people that will be on the receiving end of our gently worn clothes, we'll get REUSE right every time. ‘People Recycling for People’ is more than just a motto to us,” said Pomerantz.
You can drop off your gently used, clean textiles at the Recycling Center (121 Dartmouth Avenue) in Swarthmore Borough where a Community Recycling collection bin has been conveniently placed. Any local businesses or schools in the area that would be interested in hosting a bin should feel free to contact Community Recycling. Convenience certainly plays a large role in a successful textile-recycling program.
Today, Community Recycling works with communities, cities, towns, individuals, schools, organizations, non-profits, retailers, thrifts and big corporations all over the country. All the textiles collected have journeyed to points around the globe where affordable, gently used options are most needed.
About Community Recycling
Community Recycling is proud to be a for-profit textile recycler with a focus on REUSE. They have flipped the recycling triangle upside down and have mastered the most powerful ‘R,’ REUSE, with more than 98% of the goods collected destined for REUSE here and around the world.
Engaging people in the communities in which they do business is essential to making the recycling process readily understood and as convenient as possible.
Community Recycling is effectively diverting millions of pounds of clothing, shoes and other secondhand goods from landfills, generating new revenue streams for municipalities, townships, boroughs, commercial retail locations, schools, charities, thrifts; and fueling local economies by creating jobs both here and in emerging countries.
