Fundraising That’s Good for the Environment!

The news buzzes with stories about recycling. You are bombarded with encouragement from your local waste management company, and your environmentally-aware neighbors and friends debate what can really be dumped into that large plastic recycling can out front.  California recently passed a new law that sets an ambitious seventy-five percent recycling goal by 2020.

You may not be aware where all your second-hand clothes, shoes, purses, belts and linens end up when you (or a thrift store) discards them. Sadly, they could end up in your local landfill when you should have considered textile recycling.

According the Environmental Protection Agency, close to 13 million tons of textiles were generated in 2009 and only about 2 million tons were recycled.  When you recycle your clothing, you conserve raw materials and natural resources. That means less has to be extracted, refined, transported and processed which lightens the load on Mother Earth. You also conserve the energy that’s needed in the manufacturing process. Less energy used means less needs to be generated, resulting in smaller carbon footprints and less greenhouse gases and emissions.

There’s another side to clothing recycling that’s equally as good. And that’s helping to provide the millions of poor in third world countries with usable clothing they may not otherwise be able to afford. The council for textile recycling estimates that the industry can deliver a clean pair of damage-free pants to an underprivileged person in Africa for as little as .34 cents a pair. A warm sweater can find its way to someone who’s cold in Pakistan for about .12 cents. And that includes the transportation costs of getting it there.

Recently, California Clothing Recyclers created a program called Cash for Clothes. Just about any organization that needs to raise funds can benefit. Arrange for your organization to sponsor a collection drive for used clothing--including shoes, hats, linens and purses. California Clothing Recyclers will pick up the items on the scheduled day, and within two weeks your organization will receive payment by check.

For more information visit our website: http://www.californiaclothing.net or call Julie Brown, 916-225-9138.

California Clothing Recyclers, a local leader in the industry, has been in business for over 14 years serving the Sacramento region and Northern California. Annually, 3.5 million lbs. of second-hand clothing is recycled by California Clothing Recyclers, helping to fulfill clothing demands in third-world countries, while diverting it from Sacramento area landfills.