Troy, N.Y. >> Got old clothes you want thrown out, but don’t want to end up in a landfill? There will now be several locations throughout the city to drop off these unwanted items.
You can drop off all clothing, belts, blankets, curtains, drapes, gloves, hats, hand bags, paired shoes, sheets, towels, sneakers, and stuffed animals. Everything should be clean and dry, but it can be worn, ripped, or stained.
The drop off locations are:
• Fire Department Central Station – 2175 6th Avenue (rear alley)
• Fire Department Station #1 – 115th Street and 5th Avenue
• Fire Department Station #3 – 530 Campbell Avenue
• South Troy – Corner of Main Street and E. Industrial Parkway (Alamo facility)
Don’t drop trash, furniture, carpets, rugs, toys, foam stuffing, diapers, mattresses, glass, metal, aluminum, or food waste.
It’s free, and it’s part of the city’s new textile recycling program.
Mayor Patrick Madden announced it Tuesday, saying the city has partnered with American Clothing Recycling Company out of Glens Falls to do it.
“The City of Troy is continuing to offer new initiatives to increase access to additional recycling opportunities at no cost to taxpayers,” he said in a release. “This program allows residents to dispose of unwanted clothing and other items while simultaneously reducing their impact on the environment. As we pursue a new comprehensive approach to solid waste management it is important to diversify and expand its recycling options. By expanding our recycling program to include textile options we can reduce our community’s environmental impact and help keep recyclable materials out of landfills. I encourage our residents to utilize this alternative recycling program.”
Tyler Holloway, recycling coordinator for Troy, said it’s possible the city can make a bit of money from doing this, and save some as well. How much depends on how popular the program is.
“I don’t know exactly what the totals will be,” he said.
It’s expected the program will see heavy use initially, then drop-off some as people get rid of items they’ve been holding onto. It’ll be about a year before the city has a good idea of the volume of material being moved.
Holloway said if the city makes money from this, it’s not expected to be a great deal, perhaps $1,000, but that would be used to offset the costs for other recycling programs.
John Salka, deputy director of public information, said that after a year or so the city will know if it should add more drop locations. This is expected to divert material from landfills, and diversiffy Troy residents’ recycling options.
“Many consumers don’t realize that 85 percent of single use clothing is landfilled,” said Kathleen Tesnakis, president and designer of Ekologic Clothing and Accessories, a local manufacturer of handmade clothing that uses recycled materials. “Keeping garments out of local landfills and transforming them into useful items is a huge benefit to our community and the world around us. I hope that we can continue to develop even more effective ways to recycle our textiles, and congratulate Mayor Madden and Troy City Hall for their efforts to find solutions for this issue.”
The city cited information from the federal Environmental Protection Agency saying that on average, every US citizen throws out 70 pounds of clothing and textiles a year. In 2014, this accounted for 10 percent of municipal solid waste
Source: High Plains Journal, U.S.A Wednesday, 11 July 2018