Recycling Update: Part 3, Textiles

The subject of textile recycling covers several different topics. Used clothing is collected through various means and after cleaning and sorting, is donated to the less fortunate of us or sold in second-hand venues such as Goodwill in order to raise funds. However, once a garment is no longer a viable garment, it eventually enters the "waste stream." Other textiles that are non-durable, such as sheets and towels, are often converted to rags and wipers. It is interesting to note that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not consider this type of "reuse" as recycling because the rags and wipers eventually do become waste material.

Hotels, motels, resorts, and medical clinics and hospitals are a major source of reused or recycled textiles. These "damaged" or used textiles are often processed by sorting, cutting, and hemming. Other sources are textile manufacturers themselves, that often have unusable or damaged material that is produced in the manufacturing process. Textiles that can't be used for rags have other uses. Cotton is used in high-quality paper making. Other knitted and woolen fabrics are "pulled" into fibrous state and reprocessed into fibers that are used in upholstery, insulation and other building materials.

Two companies that make clothing, Patagonia and Nike, have been in the news regarding their "green" policies. Patagonia, well-known for its "footprint" program, launched its Common Threads Garment Recycling Program to recycle used garments into modern styles. And in the recent World Cup games, no less than nine soccer teams were wearing Nike jerseys that were made from recycled plastic bottles.

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Sources:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/recycled-cotton-saves-land-water-energy.html

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/textiles.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_recycling#Conversion_to_rags

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1995859,00.html

Per Pound Pricing

Our pricing structure is by the pound. Sometimes this creates a little of confusion to our customers. When they see a 10 lb box, they don't think they are getting many rags, but in reality, one pound of, oh let's say, huck towels is approximately 64 pieces per box. Our rags vary in weight and volume according to the type of rag that it is; some of them are thin, some are medium and some of them are thick. When a rag is made of thin fabric, you will be getting more quantity per pound, than another type that is thick and larger in size. For example, our terry wipers are thicker and larger in size, so a 10 lb box has approximately 20 pieces. Different rags are used for different jobs. All the rags we carry are of the best quality available and we offer a satisfaction guarantee to all our customers.

Another thing to consider when you are looking at our pricing is the fact that shipping is free in the contiguous United States. There are no shipping charges. So at the end when your purchase is made, the price in the website is it. No other charges will be added.