Following drop-off, clothes and other items are sorted before following one of three paths to reuse or recycling:
- Top picks are designer clothes in good, new or near new condition, which are laundered and sold within the US, with the proceeds covering the cost of collection and transport and supporting RewearAble's non-profit mission.
- Non-designer clothes in good repair, which makes up the largest proportion of items, are sold in bulk to wholesalers who distribute them to non-profit groups supplying clothes to the needy or sell them to brokers who ship to areas of need in developing countries for use.
- Textiles in poor repair are routed for industrial use, either as cleaning/painting rags or shredded to make insulation or upholstery stuffing.
Other Options for Textile Reuse and Recycling
Go Shopping in your Closet: Is there something you like but haven't been wearing because it is slightly damaged or doesn't fit quite right? There are a number of tailors/alteration specialists locally who can have your favorite items looking and fitting like new.
Garage Sale: If you want to keep all the profit from selling your old things, a garage sale is the way to go! You have full control of setting your prices and offering deals.
Consignment Stores: A consignment store agrees to list and display clothing, accessories or other items on behalf of the item owners at the store. When an item sells, the store and the item owner both receive a share of the sale price. Clothing consignment stores are typically looking for high end designer brands, one-of-a-kind pieces and like-new items.
Online Consignment: There are a number of specialized online platforms for people to sell their unwanted clothes. These are generally set up as online consignment stores, where it is free to create an account and list items, but the platform keeps part of the sale when each item sells. There's a bit more work involved than with brick-and-mortar consignment because the seller will be responsible for posting photos, writing item descriptions, answering customer questions, and shipping items out. Apps like
ThredUP,
Depop and
Poshmark specialize in clothing and accessory sales. Sites like
eBay and
Facebook Marketplace can generally be used to sell a wide variety of items. As with brick-and-mortar stores, designer brands and unique items in like-new conditions tend to sell best.
Second Hand for Profit: For-profit second hand clothing stores typically buy clothing from the public at bulk rates, then sort it, mark it up, and sell it for a profit. They often specialize in certain markets (e.g. baby or children's' clothing, sports clothing, teen clothing, etc.). Again, these stores are typically looking for popular brands and like-new or gently used items.
Second Hand Not-for-Profit: These are second hand clothing stores run by registered non-profit organizations. Typically, the clothing that they sell is donated by members of the public and the proceeds of sales support a not-for-profit mission. Well-known examples include Goodwill, Salvation Army and AmVets, though there are also smaller, more local charitable thrift shops.
Charitable Donation: These are permanent or occasional clothing drives with no sales component. Donated items are sorted, sometimes washed or mended as needed, and given to the needy for use.
Clothing Boxes: You have probably seen these drop boxes in various parking lots around the region. Usually, the operators of these boxes are for-profit companies, though they sometimes partner with non-profits or governments. For example, the sale of the items from a drop box in a church parking lot will usually benefit both the box operator and the church. Look for boxes that are made of durable materials (metal), are clearly marked with a company name, and that are maintained well.
Corporate/Retail Programs: Some corporations have adopted recycling programs as part of their commitments to improving sustainability. Retailers may accept items of their own brand or items of certain types belonging to any brand for recycling. Examples of major retailers with in-store drop offs include Nike, DSW, Levi's, H&M, The North Face, Madewell and Patagonia. Some retailers provide mail-in recycling kits or shipping labels to customers. Gap, Universal Standard and Carter's are examples of retailers using the mail-in model.
Please note: Information above is intended as a guide to
residents. Any omissions are unintentional. Additions, updates, or corrections
should be referred to the Kane County Recycling Office at
recycle@countyofkane.org.
