The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, Bel Air, Md., has developed a
set of documents including a position paper and draft legislative language to help local
governments establish procedures to manage clothing collection bins. It also has formed a committee
of heads of companies that conduct collection bin programs with the aim of promoting clothing
recycling via approved collection bins, and has developed a Code of Conduct for its member
companies that have set up clothing collection bins.
“Local legislators should consider clothing to be a recyclable, just like aluminum cans,
plastic bottles, newspaper and cardboard,” said Jackie King, executive director, SMART. “Clothing
collection bins are a convenient alternative that encourages the public to direct clothing into the
recycling stream and out of local landfills.” King added that according to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 22.18 billion pounds of textiles are sent to municipal landfills every year — 95
percent of which could be recycled — compared to 4 billion pounds of textiles that are reused or
recycled.
August 6, 2013
