Clothes, shoes, bags and belts will get a new lease on life, through reuse, as thousands of residents in the Newtown Township and Newtown Borough begin a pilot curbside textile-recycling program. All of this easy-greenness is due to an innovative new agreement between industry leaders Community Recycling, locally based textile recycler, and George Leck and Son Inc., also DBA Leck Waste Services, a family owned and operated waste hauling company.
About 3,000 households will have the ability to pilot the program before it rolls out to the remaining George Leck and Son customer base. Together with Community Recycling, they are looking to divert as many textiles for REUSE as possible, which are hitting the waste stream at an alarming rate.
"Our main goal is to get good participation and social engagement of the community in the collection of gently used, reusable clothes, paired shoes, bags and belts," said Lisa Pomerantz, VP of Marketing for Community Recycling. "We are hopeful that by making textile recycling convenient and fun, we will raise awareness and people can realize what the 'power of one' can have in making change throughout the world."
that collects unwanted textiles and related materials that are responsibly distributed for reuse, resale and recycling in the US and abroad. All of the textiles collected in this curbside program will be recycled and given a new life for people around the globe. Every home in the pilot area will receive two REUSABLE Community Recycling carryalls.
To further carry the message of reuse home, residents are asked to pack their gently used and reusable items in plastic or paper bags they have already acquired. They can then place the pre-bagged textiles in the carryall and place it curbside on their designated textile pickup day. George Leck and Son will pick up the filled carryalls, and leave additional, reusable ones behind for the next scheduled pickup.
"We are continually working hard to make going green easier and easier for our residential customers," said Tina Leck. "We have partnered with Community Recycling in an effort to reduce the problem of textile waste, while elevating awareness for the need to consistently participate in textile recycling for reuse."
"This is a wonderful and valuable asset to our community," said Mayor Dennis O'Brien of Newtown Borough. "We are always supportive of groundbreaking and convenient ways to green our community and enrich our access to both state and federal grants for recycling."
