What Happens to Your Clothes AFTER Donation to SCRAP?
New Yorkers throw out 200,000 tons of clothing and textiles every year, according to nyc.gov.
At SCRAP, we made it our mission to cut down that number by making it easier for New Yorkers to donate their used clothing and give them a new life. On our website you can easily schedule a clothing pick-up in New York’s five boroughs but what happens next? Where do your clothes go?
It’s pretty simple actually...
1. SORTING
Donations made to SCRAP are first sent to our recycling partners for sorting. We work with recycling and sorting plants that are predominantly based in the New York metro area to reduce the amount of transportation and thus CO2 emissions.
Clothes donated to SCRAP are sorted into three types, we call them tiers:
Tier 1
This portion of the clothing will be reused through donation or sale. The Tier 1 clothes are either new or slightly worn, Those clothes are in the best condition (or even brand new), have a unique style and are made by popular brands, therefore we believe that they can have a new life in someone else’s hands.
Tier 2
Clothes that are made of textiles that are recyclable, but are not too worn for reuse, are placed back into the raw material production cycle, to make recycled textiles for new clothing. There is a limited amount of garments that have the most chance to be remade into new fabrics because the technology of recycling processes for used clothing is still not perfect. As of now, clothes of simple fiber content (i.e. 100% cotton, 100% polyester, etc) have the highest chance of being recycled. Recently progress has been made in effectively separating natural and synthetic fibers, which allows us to capture both types of fibers without losing fiber in the process, but for now, it’s still difficult to recycle blends (keep that in mind when you’re buying t-shirts and jeans!).
Tier 3
Donations unfit for recycling can still be used as raw materials for stuffing or insulation. Those clothes usually are blended materials that are a bit more worn or damaged. The process is quite simple: trims are removed (zippers, buttons, etc.) from each piece of clothing after which they are shredded into tiny pieces that are then pressed into insulation sheets or stuffing bales.
2. PROCESSING
According to the different tiers, we identify partners who either resell or reuse these materials as raw materials to make new clothing or other types of useful textiles.
An example of a Tier 1 partner is Earth and Me, a zero-waste store in Queens where we will be sending some of our most lightly worn items. Most items in Tier 1 are donated or sold to communities where they are most needed.
Tier 2 clothing is an evolving industry (as you can see above), with most facilities located in Scandinavia. We’re looking for more local options, so if you hear of anyone, let us know!
Tier 3 clothing processors are mainly located locally in NYC. Our main partner for processing clothes that will be repurposed as insulation or stuffing is Green Tree Textiles.
These partners are ever-changing as demand shifts from geography to geography and the textile industry evolves. We favor local buyers and uses, but our fundamental commitment is to give your clothes a new life and ensure that none of your clothes end up in the landfill.
