COLUMBUS, Ohio — According to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, about 4% of waste materials that end up in Central Ohio landfills include textiles. This can include blankets, towels, sheets and clothing.
Beyond the issue of those textiles taking up space, those materials decompose over time and produce hazardous greenhouse gases like methane. This contributes to climate change.
Goodwill is now accepting all of your unwanted textile material so they can put it in their storefronts or recycle it.
Randy Pearson, the manager of logistics and retail operations for Goodwill, said, “I don’t think people realize how much stuff actually comes through us and gets recycled on a yearly basis, it’s a lot”.
Last year, Goodwill was able to divert 5.3 million pounds of textiles from reaching the landfills. So far in 2021, they have already diverted 4 million pounds.
Goodwill accepts:
- Clothing (Men’s, Women’s, Children’s)
- Coats / Jackets / Gloves / Hats
- Professional / Formal Attire
- Shoes (All Sizes & Conditions)
- Linens / Bedding / Towels
- Blankets / Sheets /Decorative Pillows
- Books
- Jewelry
- Small Appliances & Clocks
- Toys / Board Games
- Bicycles / Skateboards
- Sporting Equipment
- Musical Instruments
- Some Furniture
For a full list of items and drop-off locations, click here.
You can learn more information about recycling here.