The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average U.S. resident discards over 100 pounds of clothing per year, with 85% of that ending up in landfills. Now, the Town of Mamaroneck is putting a dent in those statistics with a new curbside textile collection program. 

The Town of Mamaroneck has announced a new partnership with Helpsy, a recycling service made available through Westchester County. Helpsy is a certified B corporation and public benefit corporation with a mission to keep clothes out of the trash. Last year, Helpsy kept 35 million pounds of textiles out of landfills. Thanks to the new home pickup program, unincorporated Town residents can leave unwanted clothing, footwear, accessories, and household textiles at the curbside for free pickup by Helpsy.

“This textile recycling program is a win for everyone,” said Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Jaine Elkind Eney. “It saves people time, it saves the Town money, and it’s better for the planet. With this new program, we’ll be keeping clothing and other household textiles out of landfills while making it easy for people to recycle. This is another example of how Mamaroneck is taking a proactive position on environmental matters, and our residents can have a genuine impact.”

To schedule a free pickup, recyclers can sign up at www.helpsy.com/pickup. Home pickup occurs on Tuesdays. Items intended for recycling should be clean, dry, and odorless. Helpsy asks that the items be left in clearly labeled plastic bags. They should boldly say “Helpsy” on them so that sanitation staff does not mistake the bags for trash. Bags intended for Helpsy pickup should not be put out near the trash. To help minimize emissions, Helpsy also requests that people request pickups when they have 3 or more bags of items ready to be recycled.

The program will accept the following items:

Clothing: Tops (t-shirts, blouses, shirts, tank tops), Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Dresses, Outerwear (coats, jackets, blazers), Bottoms (pants, slacks, jeans, sweatpants, skirts, shorts), Suits, Socks, Pajamas, Slips, Bras, Underwear, Baby Clothing

Footwear: Shoes, Heels, Flats, Sandals, Flip Flops, Boots (work boots, dress boots, winter boots), Sneakers, Cleats, Slippers

Accessories: Hats, Bags (pocketbooks, backpacks, duffle bags, totes), Belts, Glove, Ties, Scarves, Bathrobes, Jewelry

Linens: Sheets/pillowcases, Blankets, Comforters, Curtains/Drapes, Aprons, Dishcloths, Cloth napkins, Table linens, Quilts

Other: Luggage, Sports jerseys, Stuffed animals.

Ninety-five percent of the clothing that Helpsy collects is salvageable. Approximately 50% is re-sold as clothing; higher grades are resold to thrift stores in North America and other secondhand markets around the world. 45% of items, including the lower grades of clothing, can be turned into rags for industrial use or stuffing and insulation.

Clothing production makes up 10 percent of global carbon emissions, plus it pollutes rivers and streams with dyes and finishes. Many clothing manufacturers use fossil fuels in the making of synthetics, which are common in “fast fashion” clothes. Recycling clothing helps offset these environmental issues.

The textile pickup service is being handled by Helpsy directly and is not being handled by the Town of Mamaroneck or Sanitation Commission staff. Helpsy is responsible for scheduling the pickups and answering any questions residents may have about pickups. To contact Helpsy directly, residents can visit Helpsy online at www.helpsy.com/,  email Helpsy at info@helpsy.com, or call Helpsy at (800) 244-6350.