Managing and Reducing Costs on Textile Waste

According to the EPA, in 2015:

• The U.S. generated 16 million tons of textiles.
• The recycling rate for all textiles was 15.3% (2.5 million tons).
• Landfills received 10.5 million tons of textiles.

Consumers often donate used clothing, rugs, and other textiles to organizations such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Much of this is resold in the U.S., but many tons of these textiles are exported to other countries each year for resale on the used clothing market. Textiles that are unusable are often recycled into something new, but many end up in landfills.

Textiles that can be recycled (if clean) include:

• Clothing
• Upholstery
• Towels
• Sheets
• Blankets
• Rugs
• Carpet
• Handbags
• Some footwear

Textiles can be recycled into many things, including towels, mattresses, car insulation, and furniture padding. Textiles that are damaged are often sold as rags by home improvement stores.