Clothes and Linens Recycling Encouraged in King County

Seattle, WA - King County Solid Waste Division kicked off Threadcycle 2003, its first ever used clothing and textiles recovery program. The month-long program encourages residents to recycle their used clothes and linens to reduce landfill waste. During the month of February 2003, local residents were asked to drop off their used clothes and linens at any King County Regal Cinema theatre. The used clothes and linens will be distributed among participating thrift stores that will extend the usable life of the used materials through resale or recycling.

"King County residents toss out almost 30,000 tons of usable clothing and other textiles such as towels, linens and rags each year -- that's equivalent to almost 20 million bedsheets," said Sharon Aller, program manager for King County's Solid Waste Division. "Consumers can conserve resources and help the environment by giving their used clothes and linens a 'second chance' through recycling, or in this case, 'Threadcycling.'"

"About 4,300 tons of textiles were recycled in King County in 2001. While commendable, that equals only 15 percent of the total textiles/clothing thrown away," continued Aller. "If just half the households in King County donated or brought in three shirts for recycling this February, this would be enough to keep over a million pounds of clothes and textiles out of the trash."