Don’t throw textiles in trash, agency urges

The average New Yorker discards 70 pounds of the material per year, a local recycling official says.

The Ulster County Resource Recovery, in an effort to reduce the waste stream, is urging county residents to donate or recycle used textiles rather than throw them in the trash.

Textiles currently make up 11.4 percent of the county’s solid waste stream, according to agency Recycling Coordinator Angelina Peone.

Peone said 1.4 billion pounds of textiles are thrown out every year in New York state and that the average New Yorkers throws out an average of 70 pounds per year.

The Resource Recover Agency said some of the most common discarded textiles are hats, pocketbooks, backpacks, tote bags, belts, gloves, ties, scarves, robes, sheets, blankets, towels, curtains, aprons, dishcloths, cloth napkins, throw rugs and placemats.

Peone also said that “over 1,000 jobs could be created if a better recycling structure were in place for textile recycling.”

“This is certainly an underappreciated portion of the waste stream that’s certainly recoverable through recycling,” she said.

The agency also is encouraging residents to avoid making “fast fashion” purchases and instead buying from second-hand stores, and turning used clothing into other items.

“Kids go through clothes a lot,” said the agency’s assistant recycling coordinator, Melinda France. “When my daughter was four, there was a dress that someone gave her that she didn’t really like ... so we made it a bag.”