Members of the campus community can recycle textiles at residence hall desks, the Shirk Center (by Wellness), Hansen Student Center (at the main entrance) and Memorial Center (by the Main Desk) in round bins.

A textile is any item made from cloth or an artificial fabric like vinyl. Textiles are used for clothing, linens, bedding, upholstery, curtains, carpets and other items. Any textile item, even if it’s worn, torn, or stained, can be recycled. You can even recycle a single shoe! Items simply need to be clean and dry.

Some facts:

• The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average person throws away 70 pounds of clothing per year. That adds up to 3.8 billion pounds of unnecessary waste added to our landfills.
• Clothing and household textiles currently make up 5.2% of the waste in landfills.
• Recycling clothing and textiles decreases the use of natural resources, such as water used in growing crops and petroleum used in creating new clothing and textiles.
• It also decreases the need for chemicals used in manufacturing new textiles and the pollution caused by the manufacturing process.

How are recycled textiles used?

• Resold at charities’ secondhand clothing stores
• Sent to developing countries
• Turned into wiping cloths, which are used in a variety of industries and businesses (everything from manufacturers to repair shops, construction industries, stores, and maintenance and custodial departments)
• Processed back into fibers and turned into paper, yarn, insulation, carpet padding, and other items

from: http://www.smartasn.org/educators-kids/Textile_Recycling_Fact_Sheet.pdf