Westville First in NJ to Recycle Clothing at Curbside

The average American discards about 70 pounds per year of clothing that could otherwise find a use in the households of needy people the world over, said Lisa Pomerantz, vice president of marketing and business development for Community Recycling of Fairless Hills, PA.

That waste adds to landfill and incinerator fodder that communities like Westville pay some $85 per ton to discard, according to Donna Domico, director of public works for the borough.

So on Earth Day 2013, Westville launched its new textile recycling initiative, which is aimed at recapturing some of the usable material from its waste stream.

Domico said the borough averages about a ton per month of donated goods in textile collection bins, but that's with a far smaller scale of involvement. Community Recycling will pay Westville $200 for every ton of reusable garments collected through the curbside program.

"It's easier to be responsible, to get rid of these types of items" when the borough helps to collect them, Domico said.

The program collects gently used shoes, clothes, bags and belts and puts them to work again for needy individuals in places as far away as South Africa, Chile and Ghana, Pomerantz said.

Collection bags are being distributed to every household in the borough. Pickup will be held on the second Monday of every month.

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