3 Reliable Ways to Sustainably Recycle Your Clothes
Although it's difficult to accept, not all clothing can be used indefinitely. There comes a time when even the most sustainable baddies must acknowledge that a garment has reached the end of its lifespan. However, what happens to it after we decide to part ways? Can it spark new life or contribute to pollution elsewhere? When a garment no longer qualifies as a hidden gem at a clothing swap, how do we keep it from ending up in a landfill?
The last thing we want is to send our clothing to the sunken place: donation bins. Only about 15% of used clothes are donated while the other 85% are sent to landfills in the global South; in Accra, Ghana, millions of tons of clothing are dumped yearly, threatening environmental and public health. If you have garments that deserve a proper farewell, we’re here to guide you through three susty, reliable ways to recycle your clothes.
These recycling programs ensure your used materials further the circular economy!
Fabscrap is NYC’s one-stop textile reuse and recycling resource for designers, businesses, and individuals. They collect fabric scraps, sort them by fiber content, and either recycle them into insulation, carpet padding, etc., or make them available for reuse by students, artists, and designers.
Retold Recycling’s recycling program ensures unwanted textiles find new life instead of ending up in landfills. From thrift stores and charity outlets to recycling companies and various other reuse options, Retold Recycling partners with a network that ensures every item collected is either resold, recycled into new fashion, or repurposed as insulation or manufacturing material.
Brand Recycling Programs
We have to give credit where credit is due and acknowledge the brands that have started in-house recycling programs (with some even recycling clothing outside their labels!) It's especially worth checking if your frequently purchased brands offer recycling programs.
Among our favorites for their recycling programs and overall susty ethos are…
Local and state governments countrywide are initiating textile recycling programs for their communities. Here on the East Coast, Hoboken, New Jersey started a recycling program in 2022 with donation locations around the city; New Yorkers can request a textile recycling bin for their apartment building through GrowNYC!
If you have sewing skills, slay; if you don’t, join the club (but we should really get into it, baddies). Your unusable pieces can lay the groundwork for an upcycle project. If you need inspiration, here are a few of our favorite upcycle experts who consistently post beginner-friendly to expert-level tutorials.
Tracy Garcia (@TransformationsByTracy)
Veronica Arroyo (@in.vaed)
Kaitlyn Faith (@KaitlynForYou)
Mia Marquez (@miammarquez)
Natalia Trevino Amaro (@nataliatrevinoamaro)
These tutorials will not only help you turn a worn piece into something super fresh and cunty.
No sewing skills? No problem! You can still transform discarded clothing into scraps that can be used for everything from self-care to cleaning. Rework them into rags for cleaning, waxing strips (hair removal), or even as fabric for gift wrap or napkins. Upcycling scraps is incredibly straightforward, it’s as simple as cutting up an old t-shirt into manageable pieces that serve a new purpose.