Clothing collection bins promote textile recyling

Textiles are said to be the seventh most discarded material in Michigan and now a business is working to divert millions of pounds of clothing that would otherwise go to landfills.

USAgain will have bins available in the southwest Michigan communities of Benton Harbor, Coloma, Hartford, Watervliet, Paw Paw and Lawrence and used clothes can be donated there.

Installing USAgain textile collection bins at drop-off sites gives cities a way to gather reusable clothing that might otherwise go to waste, says Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain.

“We expect to directly impact the local environment and economy by helping the region responsibly dispose of millions and millions of pounds of used clothes,” says Wallander.

In 2010, the company diverted 56 million pounds of used clothes from landfills.

The company works with local businesses to identify places it can locate bins. Business owners agree to host a bin, and in return, collect part of the proceeds generated from clothing collected on site. The host can then choose to keep the revenue, or donate it through USAgain to charities such as the Children’s Miracle Network.

USAgain collects the clothing and resells it in the United States and abroad to wholesalers and recyclers.

Michigan is the 15th state in which the Chicago-based company has placed its collection bins. USAgain, pronounced use-again, was founded in 1999, and now has over 8,500 collection bins in use nationally.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Mattias Wallander, USAgain