The Town of West Hartford has entered into an agreement with Bay State Textiles to remove unwanted textiles from the waste stream.

Unwanted textiles, including those that are worn, torn, or stained, can now be brought to West Hartford’s Yard Waste and Recycling Center. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Submitted by Town of West Hartford

Department of Public Works Director John Phillips announced last week that the Town of West Hartford has entered into an agreement with Bay State Textiles, Inc. to provide textile recycling at the town’s transfer station located at the Yard Waste and Recycling Center. The textile recycling program began on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015.

According to Bay State Textiles, 95 percent of textiles can be reused or recycled, but Connecticut residents are only reclaiming 15 percent of all unwanted textiles. Every year in Connecticut, over 200 million pounds of textiles are disposed of at incinerators or landfills.

As an added bonus, the town will be receiving a $100 rebate from Bay State Textiles for each ton of textiles recycled.

Items that can be recycled include: bed sheets, pillow cases, blankets, comforters, belts, boots, coats, curtains, draperies, dresses, flip flops, hats, jackets, jeans, jerseys, pajamas, pants, purses, shirts, shoes, shorts, skirts, socks, stuffed animals, suits, sweaters, sweatpants, sweatshirts, table linens, ties, and undergarments.

Worn, torn, ripped, and stained items are also acceptable.

“With good stewardship of our waste, by diverting these items from the general waste stream, the town will see lower waste disposal cost,” noted John Phillips.

Approximately 45 percent of the material will be packed for export and as used clothing. About 30 percent of the items including flannel, t-shirts, towels, denim and other adsorbent material will be cut into rags and resold to industrial companies for cleaning equipment. The remaining 20 percent will be turned into fiber material. This material will be shipped to fiber mills and ground down and made into new material for use in items such as carpet padding, insulation, and high tech building materials.

The Yard Waste and Recycling Center is located at 25 Brixton St. A valid residential yard waste and recycling permit is required to use this service.

The transfer station schedule is Monday and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. From mid-October through mid-December, the transfer station is open later on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center is closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!