City hopes new opportunity for residents will reduce textile waste

LACONIA — Don’t let fashion go to waste.

Starting Friday, residents can drop off unused clothing at the city’s transfer station from where it can be repurposed in a number of ways, including being recycled into other items or products.

A special bin will be installed at the transfer station at 385 Meredith Center Road, where city residents can drop off unwanted clothing starting Friday, according to Public Works Director Wes Anderson.

Drop-offs can be made Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.

Anderson said the city hopes that this new recycling opportunity will cut down on the amount of waste the city has to send to the landfill. The less that gets carted off to the landfill, the less the city has to pay in disposal costs, he added.

The new recycling opportunity is being offered in partnership with Apparel Impact, a Bedford company that collects used clothing, distributes usable items to local nonprofits, school districts, and families, while worn-out items that are unusable are recycled for other uses.

Anderson said that on average 85% of the clothes dropped off in Apparel Impact’s bins are still wearable.

The city will not be making money from the recycling, but hopes that encouraging people to take their unused clothing to the bin instead of putting it in the trash will result in a reduction in the city’s solid waste expenses.

Far-too-gone clothing, accessories and textile items can be repurposed for uses such as home insulation, pillow stuffing, and car seat stuffing. Even some types of fabric can be made from recycled fibers.

Anderson said items which can be dropped off at the bin include purses and bags, ties, scarves, hats, sneakers, dress shoes of all types, sandals, flip flops, clothing, coats and jackets and sheets and towels.

The clothing bin will be easily recognizable, Anderson said, because whereas the other recycling containers at the transfer station are green, the Apparel Impact bin will be white.