Curbside Textile Recycling Could be the Next Big Thing

A nine-foot-long rug is rolled up on the brick sidewalk outside of an apartment building in Cambridge. The owner has donated it to the street with the hope that some stranger will become enchanted and lug it home. A pedestrian slows to survey the clean tan backing and crouches next to the rug, turning a corner to contemplate the design. The blue and orange chevrons do not suit her. She rises and continues her walk empty handed. The next day the rug is still there, now sodden with rain and filling with the promise of mildew; another failed recycling effort made by a lazy recycler.

Each person in the U.S. throws away an average of 70 pounds of clothing and other household textiles a year, when most — 95 percent — can be recycled. But the situation is not likely to improve until it gets easier to recycle textiles. Several studies have shown that consumers recycle more successfully when they are better informed and when recycling is convenient.