As the town heads into a new fiscal year, the Recycling Committee wishes to remind residents of the state’s 2022 ban on textile disposal and the many ways in which textiles can be recycled to benefit others.
Textiles include clothing, footwear, bedding, curtains, fabric, and similar items that are clean and dry. Even if textiles are worn, torn, or stained, they can still be donated to a textile recycler. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection maintains an online tool “Recycle Smart” at https://recyclesmartma.org to help residents with recycling of textiles and other goods.
In addition to the many environmental benefits, there are direct economic benefits of recycling textiles. Keeping used textiles out of the trash reduces the town’s disposal costs. Textile donations support local charitable organizations that provide jobs and job training to Massachusetts residents. Hundreds more businesses are involved in the resale of clothing, locally and overseas, where there’s a growing demand for second-hand textiles.
The easiest way to recycle textiles is to drop them off in the textile boxes located in the parking lots of any Lynnfield public school and at the Recycling Yard at Town Hall. All textiles must be bagged, clean and dry.
This article is informed by MassDEP and Recycle Smart.
