Help People, Mother Earth With Berlin Clothing Program

BERLIN, CT — The Town of Berlin announced Thursday its looking for folks who want to discard their old clothes and recycle them to folks who need them and save the environment too.

According to an announcement, Berlin has partnered with AFAB Recycling LLC, a Connecticut-based textile recycling company.

Residents are encouraged to drop off their unwanted textiles (clothing and shoes) at the Berlin Transfer Station at 19 Town Farm Lane, Berlin.

The transfer station hours are: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

AFAB Recycling accepts clean, dry and bagged clothing and fashion accessories (gently used, like-new or worn) including dresses, shirts, pants, suits, coats, gloves, hats, belts, ties, scarves, wallets, purses, backpacks, totes, footwear, bedding, toys, stuffed animals and jewelry.

One of the largest clothing collectors in the northeast, AFAB partners with municipalities and organizations across five states to collect unwanted clothing and shoes.

Through a combination of clothing drives, thrift store partners and clothing receptacles, AFAB helped divert nearly 4 million pounds of textiles from landfills last year.

According to the EPA, textile waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States, occupying nearly 5 percent of all landfill space, reads the Town of Berlin announcement.

Berlin officials said the U.S. throws away 36 billion pounds of textiles each year. That is 100 pounds per person.

Of those discarded textiles, officials said, currently only 15 percent is recycled, but 95 percent could be.

For more information on Berlin's new textile recycling program, contact Berlin Public Works at 860-828-7022 or 860-828-7069.