Used Clothing & Textile Recycling in King County
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Used Clothing & Textile Recycling in King County, Washington, a blog post by EcoGoodz, a used clothing wholesale supplier

Textiles are not trash. 95% of textiles (clothing, shoes, bed linens, bath linens, curtains, rugs, etc) are recyclable. The 5% that isn’t recyclable are things like mildewed items and oil stained wiping rags–items that have been contaminated with hazardous chemicals and/or contaminants. Everything else can be recycled.

Wait. Everything? Even socks with no mates? Ripped jeans? Shirts missing buttons? Jackets with broken zippers?

Yes. Even those. You see, in the recycling process, textiles are sorted according to types (which vary depending on the end product or purpose for which it is being recycled): denim may be sorted out, all natural fiber textiles may be sorted together, synthetics may be sorted together, and etc. After the sorting process, the textiles are shredded (in the case of natural-fiber-based textiles) or melted (in the case of polyester/synthetic textiles), then made into other products such as this home insulation made from shredded denim, or this fabric made from recycled cotton.

But where can you take your used clothing and textiles to be recycled? King County’s Solid Waste Division has the answer. Their website has all the answers, including a searchable guide to help you determine what is or isn’t acceptable and where it can be dropped off. There are currently 7 transfer stations that accept clothing and textile donations. These stations accept:

  • Used Clothing
  • Bedding (No Mattresses)
  • Boots
  • Curtains
  • Fabric (including scrap fabric!)
  • Linens
  • Used Shoes (both paired shoes and singles)
  • Stuffed Animals
  • Area Rugs

In addition to the transfer station, other service providers are available throughout the county.

Now that you know that your old socks, broken shoes, and buttonless shirts can be recycled; now that you know what resources are available, there should never be another singleton sock, scrap of fabric, or broken-zipper-jacket thrown into any King County garbage again! Right??

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