The holiday season brings with it lots of joy and gift-giving; it also produces a lot of trash. In New York, one type of material we throw away is hard to recycle. But there are efforts to reduce this problematic waste stream.
Holiday presents likely included lots of clothes, and maybe new furniture or rugs or bedding. If you throw out the old, then you created textile trash. The Environmental Protection Agency finds most of those discards get thrown out.
"They say that only 15% of all textiles in the US actually gets They call it recycled, but recycle is a broad word. They collect it. The rest, 85% end in landfills or in incinerators," said Uli Stosch with Planet Aid.
One big culprit, according to Stosch, is fast fashion — trendy clothes made cheaply that get worn once or twice, then discarded. She recommends thinking about the quality of clothing you buy, then donating them when done, rather than throwing clothes away.
Planet Aid collects textiles with bins in Syracuse and elsewhere upstate, and then markets what they collect.
"That means if somebody buys clothing from us, they will look at it and then they see what can I resell, either in a second hand clothing store or if we buy or sell to other countries, let's say to Guatemala, Chile, then they maybe sell it on the market or they sell to other clothes sellers. A lot of it gets used again and actually creates a very big economy," explained Stosch.
That can end up as income for people in developing countries. Donating to thrift stores can also help, and is enjoying a resurgence, especially among younger people.
Stosch said Planet Aid is also involved in other, evolving types of recycling.
"There’s mechanical recycling of textiles, which means you take a pair of jeans and you shred it, and then that (material) can be used for things. And there’s chemical recycling, which it’s a whole different thing in itself, where a garment gets broken down chemically. It’s an emerging field right now," said Stosch.
These methods can be used on hard-to-recycle rugs and mattresses.
The New York Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling is examining state bans on textiles in landfills – Massachusetts has one – and producer responsibility laws for companies to have a role in disposal.
Textiles make up between 7% and 10% of what goes into landfills and incinerators. And things like fast fashion and throw-away culture have increased their volume 50% in the past two decades.
