SMART and CTR Both to Support State-wide Effort in New York to Promote Clothing Recycling
Bel Air, Maryland (PRWEB) September 30, 2014 -- The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) and its sister organization, the Council for Textile Recycling (CTR) have both agreed to sponsor an educational campaign being presented by the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3) . The Boards of Directors of both SMART and CTR voted in favor of providing financial and public relations support for the November campaign that will launch in conjunction with America Recycles Day on November 15.
“The state-wide effort to promote the recycling of used clothing and other textiles being developed by NYSAR3 is a great step forward in educating the public about the importance of keeping used clothing out of landfills,” says Jackie King, Executive Director of SMART. “The textile recycling industry has been reusing and recycling clothing, sheets, towels, shoes, and other textile products for more than 100 years. Clothing was being recycled long before the environment became such an important issue to so many people.”
SMART is the international trade association of the for-profit textile and used clothing recycling industry, while the Council for Textile Recycling works to bring together all aspects of clothing recycling including manufacturers, retailers, consumers, academicians, and municipal employees.
“People don’t realize that 95% of all used clothing and household textiles can be recycled,” says Eric Stubin, President of the Council for Textile Recycling. “If the items aren’t reused as clothing, they can be cut into industrial wiping or polishing cloths, or they may be shredded and processed back to their original fiber content. Those fibers are then used to manufacture new items such as household insulation, car soundproofing material, carpet padding, stuffing for sports equipment or pet bedding, and many other products.”
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent report on municipal solid waste (2012), 14.33 million tons of waste is generated annual that is exclusively clothing and other household textiles; of this amount 2.25 million tons, only 15.7%, is recycled.1
In the same study, the EPA calculated the impact the current level of recycling has Greenhouse Gases in the United States. The EPA report indicates the 2.25 million tons of textiles are currently recycled annually; is the equivalent of removing 1.2 million cars from America’s highways. This is more than 5-times the impact of recycled yard trimmings (170 thousand cars removed); is more than 4-times the impact of glass recycling (210 thousand cars removed); more than plastic recycling (670 thousand cars removed); and is nearly equal to the impact of aluminum recycling (1.3 million cars removed).2
For additional information, contact Paul Bailey at the Fallston Group at 410-420-2001 or by email at paul.bailey(at)fallstongroup(dot)com.
SOURCE:
1Table 1, Page 6. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2012.
2 Table 5, Page 11. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2012.
About
Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) is an international nonprofit trade association that strengthens the economic opportunities of its diverse membership by promoting the interdependence of our industry segments and providing a common forum for networking, education and trade. Since 1932, SMART has been at the forefront of recycling. SMART members use and convert recycled and secondary materials from used clothing, commercial laundries and non-woven, off spec material, new mill ends and paper from around the world. SMART member companies create thousands of jobs worldwide. SMART members prove each day that you can make money by being socially responsible.
For additional information on SMART, visit the association’s website at http://www.SMARTasn.org. The following link will take you directly to informational videos on textile recycling http://www.smartasn.org/about/videos.cfm.
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Paul Bailey, Fallston Group, LLC, +1 (410) 952-3860, [email protected]
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