Clothing isn't part of the Fox Cities recycling stream, but it can be donated to Goodwill, shelters
Reader question: Where can I recycle textiles that are clean but aren't suitable for resale? I don't want them ending up in the Outagamie County landfill.
Answer: Clothes and other textiles aren't recyclable through the single-stream curbside recycling program in Outagamie, Winnebago and Brown counties.
Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste posted a humorous video on TikTok to drive that point home, and textiles made its "Why We Hate the Ugly Eight" list of things that shouldn't be in recycling in the most recent Tri-County Recycling Guide.
"Clothing, bedding & towels wrap around sorting equipment creating unnecessary maintenance," the guide says. "Donate textiles, or if in poor condition, throw them in the garbage."
@ocrecyclingsolidwaste Hey it’s José from #TriCountyRecycling in #OutagamieCounty hoping you #learnontiktok to keep #clothing out of your #recycling ♻️ #foryou
♬ original sound - Outagamie County Recyc & SW
Marissa Michalkiewicz, Outagamie County's recycling and solid waste program coordinator, said she fields a fair number of inquiries about how to recycle clothing, which is why it made the "Ugly Eight" list.
"Unfortunately, there's not really a good textile recycler in our area," Michalkiewicz said. "It's just not a real economical operation yet."
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If the clothing is good condition, it can be donated to Goodwill Industries or to an emergency shelter.
"With winter approaching, they are always in need of good clothing," Michalkiewicz said.
Clothing also could be repurposed to make a quilt, pet bed, tote bag or some other craft project. If you've exhausted all options, Michalkiewicz recommends what you're trying to avoid: toss it in the garbage to be dumped in the landfill.
The other materials on the "Ugly Eight" list to keep out of the single-stream recycling program are plastic bags, shredded paper, yuck (garbage, liquids and food), tanks, sharps, tanglers (cords, hoses and wires) and batteries.
Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to dbehnke@gannett.com or call him at 920-993-7176.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Clothing isn't part of Fox Cities recycling stream; donate it instead
