Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Today, we’re talking about textiles. In the past, we’ve covered how to give you gently used clothes a second life. But what about that ripped sweatshirt or pillowcase you accidentally bleached? We’re wondering – is it possible to recycle damaged clothes or fabrics?
We had Fatima Husain and Ashley Junger from our Possibly Team look into this. Welcome, Fatima and Ashley!
Fatima Husain: Hi, Megan!
Ashley Junger: Hello!
Megan Hall: So, Fatima: what can we do with these clothing items that are a little worse-for-wear?
Fatima Husain: Great question. If you can’t find ways to repurpose those fabrics at home, you don’t necessarily have to throw them into the trash.
Ashley Junger: In 2018, over 11 million tons of textiles, including damaged fabrics, made their way into US landfills – that’s nearly 8% of all municipal solid waste in the country- the kind of everyday trash you throw into the trashcan at home or work.
Fatima Husain: That waste has an impact. In addition to filling landfills, the breakdown of natural fiber-based fabrics such as cotton or wool can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. When fabric is made from plastic fibers like polyester or nylon, they can break down into tiny pieces of plastic.
Ashley Junger: Textile recycling, on the other hand, keeps fabrics out of the dump. And in some places, it’s practically required – in 2022, Massachusetts made it illegal to throw out most textiles in landfills.
Megan Hall: Got it. So how does textile recycling work?
Fatima Husain: Here’s the gist: certain charities,, thrift stores, or for-profit companies collect these textiles and then the fabrics get sorted into grades with different destinations.
Ashley Junger: Fabrics that aren’t nice enough to sell might get exported and processed into wiping cloths, building insulation, or recycled back into fiber for other uses.
Fatima Husain: And once old textiles are no longer usable or recyclable, they may eventually get burned, or sent to the landfill.
Ashley Junger: Essentially, recycling textiles keeps them out of the waste stream longer. But the process for recycling them isn’t always transparent or air-tight, so fabrics at every stage of the process could still end up in a landfill.
Fatima Husain: That means, there still isn’t a perfect system for used textiles.
Ashley Junger: So if this is a topic that really matters to you, it’s best to start from the beginning: Buy clothes and fabrics that last, take care of them, and repair them instead of giving them away.
Megan Hall: But when I do have fabrics to recycle, what are my options like?
Ashley Junger: To learn more, we spoke with—
Jennifer McAuslin: I’m Jennifer McAuslin. I am the director of Donation Center Operations at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island.
Fatima Husain: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island has been collecting reusable clothing for decades, but they also take damaged textiles.
Jennifer McAuslin: We can take items that are ripped, stained, torn, mismatched, you know, give us your mismatched socks, give us you know, top half to your pajama set. As long as they’re clean and odorless, we can absolutely take them.
Ashley Junger: The money they earn from these textiles helps fund their local mentorship programs and nonprofit partners. Jennifer says that over 95% of the donations they collect, including damaged fabrics, can be recycled or resold one way or another.
Fatima Husain: In 2023, that meant the organization diverted nearly 2 thousand tons of cloth from the Rhode Island Central Landfill.
Megan Hall: Wow – 2 thousand tons! That’s a lot.
Ashley Junger: It is, but there’s still room for improvement.
Megan Hall: But what if I live somewhere else and I can’t donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters?
Ashley Junger: They’re just one organization that does this. A lot of nonprofits that collect used clothes also recycle textiles too.
Fatima Husain: And if you don’t have local non-profits or charitable organizations that accept damaged fabric, just search online. There’s a growing number of companies that have drop-off bins or mail-in programs.
Megan Hall: Got it! That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to thepublicsradio.org/possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
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Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.