Links for Clothing and Footwear Recycling Programs

Here is a follow-up to my workshop Creative Reuse:  T-Shirt Transformations.  While doing research for the session, I found a bunch of great sustainable resources and organizations that will take your used clothing and textile items and repurpose them for other uses.

Here are a few:

The Bra Recyclers: An organization that will find a way to recycle, reuse or repurpose bras. You can find a drop-off station or mail old bras directly to them.

Planet Aid's yellow collection bins (popping up soon on a street corner near you) offer peace of mind with a convenience factor. The nonprofit sells collected textiles to vendors in developing countries and uses the profits to support sustainable agriculture programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

Earth911.com is a one-stop-shop for recycling resources. Save time with their search engine that lists recycling centers by item type and zip code.

Soles 4 Souls: A national shoe recycling program.

H&M has a new policy allowing shoppers to donate bags of clothing (which don't have to be in good condition or carry an H&M label) in exchange for a 15 percent discount on an item of their choice. Puma and The North Face stores also accept worn clothing, and other retailers such as Levi's, Gap, and Patagonia offer recycling sale events—inquire at local locations to see what's planned.  Visit www.2hm.com for more information.

Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles: An online platform that will help you find the nearest textile recycling outlets near you.

Donation Town: A site that helps you find a local clothing donation pick-up service in your area.

Patagonia, Common Threads – Bring back your unwanted Patagonia clothing and accessories to any Patagonia store and they’ll recycle it and give you store credit!

The North Face, Clothes the Loop – Recycling clothing and shoes from any brand at North Face stores.

Nike collects old athletic shoes from any brand that they grind up and use to create courts, fields, tracks and playgrounds.  Find out more at www.nike.com.

For local people, here is a link to The Downsizing Donation Guide that gives an extensive listing of New Haven County CT community organizations to help people place gently used items from their homes or businesses.

The Downsizing Donation Guide

Happy recycling!  If you use one of these recycling options, or if you find any other good program, send me a message at marsha@marshamakes.com and let me know!