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The ABC's of Municipal Recycling
The new buzz words in the municipal recycling circles are "used clothing" and "textiles". How can municipalities create and organize textile recycling programs? First, what are some of the reasons a municipality should get involved in textile recycling? To begin, little or no capital investment is required. The community benefits are many, including creation of jobs in the textile reclamation industry and add more revenue to offset overall recycling costs. It is an excellent way to help achieve the goal, promulgated by State of Massachusetts to recycle 46 percent of the stream by the year 2000.
Consider the high market value of textiles and used clothing. Textiles represent approximately 5.3 percent of municipal solid waste. Capture rates for textiles can vary from 2 to 7 pounds per person per year with some systems collecting even greater amounts. Waste diversion will vary according to each system.
So, how do you start and what do you do? Drop-off, curbside or collection event? The choice is up to each individual town taking into considerations such factors as, its space limitations, manpower, present contractual commitments and residential participation. Curbside collection will of course, generate the largest quantity of materials. Collected curbside material can be picked up with paper or by itself. Most communities are currently collecting clothing curbside in plastic bags, only. Of course, residents must be discouraged from putting anything out on rainy or snowy days since all clothing must be kept dry from source to market. Drop-off programs are the second most efficient system and can be implemented with small collection boxes. These small boxes can be down loaded to larger containers or can be collected directly on to a tractor trailer or to an indoor storage area. Collection events are the least productive method of collection but, as an alternative, are acceptable and can be coupled with hazardous waste, earth day collections or other special events.
Program convenience and accessibility are the most significant factors in making a program a success. Scavenging and stripping by employees or residents must be discouraged since the loss of items such as, denim articles or leather garments will greatly devalue the overall mix of collected materials. Baled materials currently are generating more income than bagged material which has a market price of approximately of $100.00 per ton.
Collection is so easy to do. Why isn't your community collecting? It creates revenue, jobs, system prestige and saves landfill space. A total "win-win" from every aspect. The buzz is correct - textile recycling is coming of age. Lets get buzzing!
*1992 Franklin Associates Study for the U.S. EPA "Characteristic of municipal solid waste in the United States"; 1992 update. |
