For Immediate Release 

Clothing collection bins continue to serve as convenient recycling option in 16 states

Chicago, IL (Jan. 20, 2016) - National clothing recycler USAgain announced today that its recycling efforts gave 50.7 million pounds of unwanted clothing and shoes a second life in 2015. 

USAgain (pronounced Use Again) provides communities with a convenient and hassle-free option to recycle surplus clothing through a network of recycling bins in 16 states. In 2015, USAgain and its program partners prevented 760.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere while saving more than 121 billion gallons of water and 289,714 cubic yards of space by diverting 9,650 garbage trucks from landfills.

“We aim to reduce the negative impacts of discarded clothes and shoes on our environment by providing them with a second life,” said USAgain CEO Mattias Wallander. “We are making progress but our ultimate mission is to further reduce the amount of textiles that end up in the landfills through education and outreach events in addition to our clothing recycling bins.”

According to the U.S. EPA, 85 percent of all unwanted clothing in the U.S., or more than 12 million tons, is thrown into the trash and buried in landfills each year with the average individual discarding 70 pounds of textiles annually. Nevertheless, the 15 percent of clothing that does get a second life is the equivalent to taking 1 million automobiles off the road each year.

In addition to placing recycling bins in strategic locations, USAgain partners with municipalities, local businesses, schools and nonprofits to host drives that raise awareness of the positive environmental impacts of recycling textiles. 

“The key is to make textile recycling a convenient part of everyday life,” Wallander noted. “The good news is that clothing recycling is catching on and more and more people think to recycle instead of throwing the items in the trash.”

USAgain is a member of the national trade association for the clothing recycling industry — the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association that advocates for reasonable laws and regulations calling for the placement and operation of clothing collection bins across the U.S. In 2015 for example, the New York Legislature passed state-level legislation (A5317), which not only regulates the placement and maintenance requirements for collection bins statewide, but also strengthens the disclosure and transparency requirements of bin operators. 

USAgain also continued its commitment to the environment by planting more than 200,000 trees around the globe in 2015, most in partnership with Trees for the Future, an agroforestry organization. The trees will serve to sequester carbon emissions and repair damaged ecosystems, helping to make the planet a greener, more inhabitable place.

Media contact: Rasham Grewal at r.grewal@usagain.com, 630-293-1239 x1001

About USAgain: USAgain, a leader in the textile recycling industry since 1999, is a for-profit company that recycles and reuses clothing, shoes and other textiles. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing, which is diverted from landfills. USAgain maintains more than 10,000 collection bins in 16 states and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. For more information and to find a recycling bin near you, visit www.usagain.com.