A Fairfax County pilot program that aims to make it convenient for residents to recycle textiles is expanding.
In January, the Northern Virginia suburb launched the program with the company Helpsy. The first drop-off location at the Interstate 66 Transfer Station in Fairfax yielded positive results, prompting the county to expand from two bins to six, and from pickup once a week to twice a week.
Now, the county has added the blue bins at the I-95 Landfill Complex in Lorton, making it more accessible in the southern portion of the county.
“Residents have always looked for different ways to recycle hard-to-dispose-of items, one of which is clothing or textiles,” said Catie Torgersen, who leads the sustainability branch of Fairfax County’s Solid Waste Management Program.
Through the program, residents can bring any type of textile that is clean and dry. It can be ripped, Torgersen said, and includes clothing, bed linens, towels, bags, luggage, shoes and other accessories.
Fabric scraps are accepted too, as long as they’re bagged and labeled, Torgersen said. The recycled items at the I-95 Landfill Complex get picked up weekly.
Once they’re collected, 45% to 60% of items are sold at secondhand stores in North and South America, Torgersen said. The county receives a small portion of the sales funding back, which is used “directly into our residential recycling services to look for ways to expand.”
About one-fourth of recycled textiles are used for rags or wipes, and another 20% is used for stuffing or insulation, Torgersen said. Only about 5% is landfilled.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to give things a second chance,” Torgersen said.
Since January, the county has collected over 57 tons, or nearly 115,000 pounds, of material.
“What we found is residents want to recycle,” Torgersen said. “They’re always looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste they put into their trash. And so whenever we offer these programs, there’s been a really tremendous response.”
While the county is describing it as a pilot program, Torgersen said it’s become very popular, “so we definitely intend to keep this service.”
More details on the program are available online.
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