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RECYCLING CLOTHES IN VALLEJO
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, October 05, 2003

Flashy green bins have appeared in several parking lots around Vallejo. They are labeled Clothes Recycling. They piqued my interest as used clothing is very hard to recycle. Donating usable clothing to thrift stores is one way to recycle clothes but we all know that is really only for reuse and somewhere down the line, clothes will ultimately end up in a landfill.

Until the latter part of the nineteenth century, most paper was made from cotton or linen rags from old clothing. When a wood-grinding machine was invented, paper mills changed their production to ground-wood paper.

The twentieth century saw the production of many new fabrics. Nylon and polyester are made from synthetic polymers. Rayon is a synthetic textile produced from cellulose. These synthetic fabrics combined with cotton, wool, silk, spandex, latex and other fibers make modern garments unrecyclable.

With that in mind, just what are we to do with our wearable clothes and shoes. Here are some alternatives:

Most of us have given and received hand-me-downs from relatives or friends. It is a tradition in most families for the youngest child to inherit clothing that siblings have outgrown.

Garage sales are a great way to clean out our closet of clothes and shoes that we no longer wear. Many local organizations such as the Elks have annual garage sales with goods coming from their membership.

Consignment shops generally like to take high-end clothing and will share the sale price with you.

Goodwill, Salvation Army and thrift store accept usable clothing and household items for resale. Our local Salvation Army sells clothing and shoes for one dollar each.

On a rare occasion, companies such as NIKE will set up a local collection of old running shoes that are ground up and recycled into new playgrounds.

Now we have 16 Clothes Recycling bins in town. These used clothes and shoe bins have been installed by Campus California TG based in Etna, California.

Campus California TG is an educational institution that trains and places volunteers in Southern Africa and Central America. Volunteers work with local people to run social projects that provide information about HIV/AIDS, health and sanitation. They also assist at teacher training colleges, vocational schools, and schools for street children.

Their newest environmental project is a clothes and shoes recycling business. This project will generate income for their activities as well as manage waste (clothes and shoes) and put it to good use.

According to Bobby Williamson, their Clothes Collection Manager, "At the moment 85 percent of used clothes and shoes is being dumped into the landfill. That means only 15% is recycled."

Campus California TG collects used and un-wanted clothes and shoes which is sold to national and international recycling companies. Used clothes and shoes are known as "credential clothing" which means that the clothes are untouched or unsorted. Bundles of this commodity contain Everything: the good stuff, the middle stuff, the bad stuff.

Up to 95 percent of the clothing they collect is recycled. Thrift stores purchase 25 percent of the good quality clothes and what they do not sell will be returned to the mixed rags category.

The remainder contains 70 percent mixed rags and five percent garbage (single shoes, soiled or wet clothes, plastic bags, etc).

Mixed rags are processed by sorting centers. Here is an interesting breakdown of what happens to mixed rags: 50 percent is wearable clothes that is repaired and sold; 15 percent is turned into cotton wipers; 10 percent is knitwear (wool & synthetics) that is made into recycled wool; 10 percent is synthetic material that will end up as mattress stuffing or insulation; 10 percent is woollen material (not knitwear) and will also be used for stuffing; 5 percent is shoes that are repaired and sold.

A list of locations for these sixteen clothes and shoes recycling bins will be posted on our website.

At the Recycled Products Trade Show that I attended last spring, I visited with people from United Textiles located in San Lorenzo (510 276-2288, www.uti-rags.com). This company takes the non-salvageable mixed rags and makes them into recycled wiping cloths and Environtex which are recycled absorbent pads for factories. 

FREE COMPOSTING CLASSES
VALCORE's last composting class of the season will be held at our site on Saturday, October 18 from 10 am to Noon. Two BioStack bins will be given away and each participant will receive a composting book. 

There will be a combination composting and less-toxic pest control class sponsored by Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District on Saturday, October 25 at YardBirds in Vallejo. This class runs from 10 am to noon and one BioStack bin will be given away. Participants who come at 9:30 will be treated to coffee and coffeecake donated by the Dillion Bread Company.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.

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