TEXTILE RECYCLING

The Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board (GRAB) now provides two options for textile recycling - convenient collection bins and a new home pick up program - through its partnership with Helpsy, a certified B Corp. This program saves the town money, conserves natural resources and makes recycling simple and easy for residents.

HELPSY’S COLLECTION BINS  

  • Cos Cob (parking lot between firehouse and library)

  • Arch Street Teen Center (at entrance)

  • Holly Hill Resource Recovery Facility (next to office trailer)

  • Nathaniel Witherell (right side of building toward secondary parking lot)

SCHEDULE A HOME PICKUP WITH HELPSY - NEW!

·      Visit www.helpsy.com/greenwichct

·      Emailing info@helpsy.co

·      Call 800-244-6350

Please place items in a closed plastic bag, preferably a reused one, and leave it at the designated location on your property on the morning of your scheduled pick up. Do not place bagged items on the curb. See FAQs below for additional guidelines.

FAQs

  • The easiest way to schedule a home pickup is by completing the pickup request form at www.helpsy.com/pickup.

  • Please call the Helpsy hotline at 800-244-6350 to schedule a home pickup.

  • Helpsy will accept any dry and clean clothing in any type of bag. It is helpful to label bags with “Helpsy.”

  • Please leave bags of clothing by your front door, on your porch, or near your mailbox or driveway.

    Do not leave your bag on the curb.

    If a different location is needed, please use the “special instructions” section on the pickup request form to indicate the location.

  • Please leave clothing outside by 7 AM.

  • Please fill out the special instructions section of the pickup request form to indicate the bags' location or any additional information.

  • Please call the Helpsy hotline at 800-244-6350 or email info@helpsy.co and include your name, address, date of the pickup and the special instructions.

  • Please call the Helpsy hotline at 800-244-6350 or email info@helpsy.co. Include your name, address, and date of the pickup. Additionally, our drivers will call the number you provided on the pickup form to let you know they have arrived if they do not see your bags outside.

  • Please call 800-244-6350 to reschedule.

  • Please call 800-244-6350 or email info@helpsy.co.

Additional Resources

Other local donation programs include Sharing Shelf, which distributes clothing and other textile items to families in need.  A number of national organizations accept textile donations from Greenwich residents, including Goodwill, Salvation Army, Vietnam Veterans of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Our town is also home to dozens of charity thrift stores and second-hand stores, which can be searched online.

Why Donate?

According to the EPA, only 15% of unwanted textiles ends up being reused or recycled, meaning the overwhelming majority of this material is landfilled or burned. Together, with your help, we can increase the amount that gets a second chance to create a significant impact for our community and the planet.

Textiles have a large environmental footprint, so it is best to extend their life as long as possible.  The apparel industry generates massive pollution (second only to the oil industry!) due to heavy use of insecticides, pesticides, and harmful chemical dyes, and requires enormous amounts of water and energy.  This occurs even before garments are transported to a retailer near you, using even more resources and energy.  

Discarded textiles also generate considerable waste.  In Connecticut, textiles comprise 5.7% or 131,904 tons of our waste stream.  They are sent to our waste-to-energy facilities at an expense of $7.9 million.  In 2015, 77% (101,413 tons) were from residential sources and 23% (30,491 tons) were from industrial, commercial, and institutional sources (CT DEEP).

What happens to donated textiles that cannot be sold?  According to the Council for Textile Recycling, charities can increase their revenues even further by reselling salvage to recyclers, who sort it for different markets:  

  • 45% of donated or recycled used clothing is exported as secondhand clothing

  • 30% is recycled and converted to wiping rags used as industrial and residential absorbents

  • 20% is recycled into fiber for home insulation, carpet padding and raw material for the auto industry

Even damaged clothing and other textiles can be repurposed, so don’t throw them in the trash.  Textiles with stains, missing buttons or tears can be used for rags or fibers for car seats, pillows, stuffed animals and other purposes.

Buying used.  As important as donating is buying used textiles, which helps reduce the amount of textiles consumed and discarded.  

Want to learn more?  Check out the the film The True Cost.