responsible textile disposal 101

photo: yassira diggs

Recycling textiles in a responsible way is about much more than donating used clothes to your favorite thrift store.  It's also about that rag you were about to toss into the trash because it has grown unsightly and stained, even when clean.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, only 15 percent of the 13.1 million pounds of textiles generated by Americans in 2010 was recovered for export or reprocessing.

The Council for Textile Recycling aims to educate the public about the importance of responsible textile disposal with a new website, which you can access here.  Textile waste can be kept completely out of landfills, if we all just recycle it.

(the irene stash) photo: yassira diggs

I have to admit, I haven't been the best at recycling textiles:  Nasty old dish rags have ended up in my trash before.  But not anymore.  That's the thing about having the information, isn't it?  Like Maya Angelou said: "When you know better, you do better."  Right?

What about you?  Do you recycle your textiles?  Does it matter to you in your day to day?

Read more at Ecouterre.
Read much more at http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/