Thurston County residents can now recycle worn, torn or damaged clothing and linens as part of the Threadcycle campaign. Thurston County Solid Waste has teamed up with King County Solid Waste and donation sites across the county to keep unwanted clothing and linens out of the landfill.
In the past many people have thrown these items in the trash, not realizing that they can be resold, reused or recycled into materials such as rags or auto insulation. In fact, the average American throws away 70 lbs of clothing and textiles a year, of which, 95% could have been recycled. In Thurston County alone, clothing and textiles are the seventh largest category, by weight, in our waste stream, equaling about 6,000 tons of textiles sent to the landfill annually.
In our area, Goodwill, Value Village, Northwest Center and USAgain, have stepped forward to serve as convenient drop off locations throughout Thurston County.
What can you donate?
Donation sites will accept items in almost ANY condition, including items that are damaged, torn, ripped or stained. They even accept single items that were once part of a pair, such as single socks, shoes or gloves. Sheets with holes in them or an old, worn baseball cap? They’ll take those too. Items that are wet or mildewed, or have been in contact with hazardous materials are not accepted.
To learn more about the program visit www.ThurstonSolidWaste.org/threadcycle. To find a donation site near you visitwww.WhereDoITakeMy.org and click on “Clothing-Damaged” or contact Katherine Straus, Waste Reduction Specialist at 360-867-2282 or strausk@co.thurston.wa.us.
