Winter is coming….and that means pulling out your cold weather clothes from under the bed or the back of your closet. As you decide what to keep or throw in your wardrobe, we recommend not just disposing your old clothes into the trash. There are other things you can do with your textiles that will keep you in-style and eco-conscious.
The examples below, of green actions you can take, apply to textiles. So the next question is, what is a textile? Textiles include:
Donate clothing, shoes, and other textiles that are in good condition to your favorite charity. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center and DEP maintain lists of local organizations that accept usable items. You may donate other textiles like linens, fabric and furniture covers to your local animal shelter/rescue, including the Montgomery County Humane Society. Contact your favorite charity to confirm their needs.
Use the Frederick Road/Route 355 entrance to the Transfer Station and follow the signs to the Textile Recycling Area (look for the blue boxes located next to the Book Shed).
Drop off clothing, shoes, and other textiles at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. We accept clothing and other textiles that are dry and free of mildew—place materials in a closed plastic bag to keep out moisture that could cause mildew. The Transfer Station partners with a local non-profit that collects, sorts, and makes usable materials available to Goodwill and other thrift stores. Clothing that is in poor condition and no longer wearable are recycled. Items with mildew cannot be reused or recycled—throw those materials away.
Rugs and carpets can be donated for reuse or disposed of in the following manner:
Carpet Padding
We do not collect clothing, shoes, and other textiles for donation or recycling as part of County-provided curbside recycling collection. Please do not add these materials to your recycling bin or cart.
I would like to learn where I can recycle old flannel shirts that have frayed collars – definitely not suitable for wearing – but the fabric on sleeves and “body” of shirts could be re-used?
Is there a textile/cloth recycling center i Montgomery County?
I know there used to be one at Shady Grove Transfer Station – the only ones I have seen there recently are for wearable clothing.
Most Sincerely,
Terri
terripanic@gmail.com
I keep my old flannel shirts and night gowns to use for wrapping gifts (instead of buying single-use wrapping paper). Many of them are in cheerful winter colors, so they’re great for the holidays. I used pinking shears so the edges wouldn’t fray, and tie them with ribbons.
Thanks for reaching out! You may drop off clean and dry clothing, regardless of condition, to the textiles drop off at the Shady Grove Transfer Station. The non-profit that we work with will separate wearable from non-wearable clothing and recycle the non-wearable clothing.
How can I cut out the middleman? What organization collects old, worn, torn textiles for recycling, as opposed to reuse? Trust me, anything reusable is donated to the Interfaith Clothing Center. I’m looking for recycling, specifically, for torn underwear and socks with holes.
Can I recycle kitchen/bath scouring pads made from plant materials (e.g., rayon made from bamboo cellulose, viscose made from trees, other cellulose household products) assuming they have been cleaned through the dishwasher or laundry and are dry? Should these be added to yard waste or dropped off and Shady Grove at the clothing/shoe bin?