This new textile waste collection pilot might be the worst idea ever.
It’s impractical and based on an unfounded faith in humans to follow directions. Worst. Idea. Ever.
In Central Ohio we’re leading a textile waste collection pilot. We are collecting post-consumer textile waste and disposing of it domestically. We have a collaborative partnership among our solid waste authority, several municipalities, our state university, and a national charity. For 90 days we’ll be asking consumers to assess what they have at home and identify what is “non-rewearable.” “Non-rewearable” is the technical term for clothing that doesn’t have resale value in its current form: Clothing that is torn, is stained, or is a Turkey Trot T-shirt from 2017. We’re asking consumers to separate their non-rewearables into five buckets: polyester, denim, T-shirts and sweatshirts without zippers or hardware, sweatshirts and jackets with zippers or hardware, and “all other.”
As part of this collaborative non-rewearable textile waste collection pilot program, we’re collecting post-consumer textile waste in Bexley, Worthington, and Upper Arlington, as well as at The Ohio State University, SWACO (the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio), and specific Goodwill Columbus drop-off locations. SWACO, along with the team from Good Land, will aggregate and bale the collected textile waste, and then we’ll send it all to Leigh Fibers.
Leigh Fibers, located in Wellford, South Carolina, is the largest textile recycling company in the United States. Among Leigh’s four facilities on any given day (three in South Carolina and one in Texas,) they recycle close to a million pounds of pre-consumer, post-consumer, and post-industrial textile waste. Their process turns textile waste into valuable raw materials that end up in finished products that are all around us. From sporting goods products, to automobiles, to home furnishings, it’s almost a given that you will come within eyesight of a Leigh Fibers product during your day.
Here are all of the reasons this is a terrible plan:
- “Non-rewearables” is the worst name ever. No punchy social media campaign can solve that.
- It’s complicated to recycle a plastic bottle for Pete’s sake. Do we actually expect people to look at a clothing label, understand the fiber content and then properly deal with this complexity?
- The cost neutrality of the pilot is an open question. Labor to move around textile waste is significant. The financial outcome will be determined by what we collect. Cotton and cotton-rich waste have more value than synthetic, but we’re all swimming in synthetic textile waste.
- We are among the first communities in the country to pilot waste collection in this way.
Reasons why this is an awesome plan:
- We are among the first communities in the country to pilot waste collection in this way.
- College students and fourth graders are creating the marketing campaign.
- Textile waste streams are the systems change we need.
- Downcycling of post-consumer waste may be the best option for now. Fiber-to-fiber recycling needs more investment and time to scale.
- It’s thrilling to try to be part of the solution.
- We will learn something.
- Consumers will learn something.
This may be a bust. But we have to try something. Stay tuned for updates on our progress.
Thank you to everyone who said “Yes!” to participating in this pilot. In Central Ohio we’re working to be the change, together.
