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4 I Bartlett Press Fdday,Febwary l &7011
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<br />Local News
<br />News Op?
<br />Contact&Inn Nutkm,newsedltorat
<br />ehmkln @mysubudwnefexom or (630) 368.0910
<br />BARTLETT
<br />Local company promotes textile recycling
<br />ByMartssaBruno
<br />mbmno@@mysuburbanlitecam
<br />While It's fairly common to recycle cans,
<br />paper and bottles, one local company is
<br />working to add textiles to the list.
<br />West Chicago -based USAgain, founded
<br />Ili Seattle in 5999, Is a for-profit company
<br />that provides its consumers with an avenue
<br />to discard used or unwanted clothing Items
<br />in a way that benefits the environment.
<br />USAgain generates its profits by selling
<br />its collected Items to wholesalers, resale
<br />shops and companies that break down the
<br />materials to make other items such as car
<br />fibers and mattress padding.
<br />"Our goal is to minimize space in land-
<br />fills; said RashamCrewel, a spokeswoman
<br />for USAgain who's a Streamwood resident.
<br />"'There are huge quantities of extiles going
<br />into landfills. It's not acceptable:'
<br />Barlett is on thelistof cities nation-wide
<br />that has a drop box for people to donate
<br />used clothes. The drop box is located out-
<br />side a business, Kemmy'Hotdogs, 245 Lake
<br />Street, Whfletnehotdogshopis no longer In
<br />business, tit a box remains a valid dropoff site
<br />and is serviced one to two WTI es a week.
<br />USAgain currently provides over 9,000
<br />drop boxes Mn slates.
<br />Crewel said each box, located outside
<br />municipalities, schools and villages, holds
<br />up to 500 to 600 pounds of materials, The
<br />boxes are emptied at least onto a week,
<br />while some are serviced every day. Most
<br />boxes are unattended and items may be
<br />dropped inboxes at sites z4 hoius aday.
<br />The boxes are scanned during each pick-
<br />up as a way to monitor the amount of items
<br />being collected and to better plan routes,
<br />Crewel said,
<br />The collections are then taken to th a com-
<br />pany's headquarters in West Chicago, where
<br />they are bundled and shipped to customers.
<br />According Crewel, only 15 percent of
<br />used clothing gets recycled nationwide
<br />each year by being donated to companies
<br />such as USAgain or nonprofit charities such
<br />as Goodwill or The Salvation Army. The
<br />remaining 85 percent ends up in landfills,
<br />Cewal saki.
<br />Just because it is too small or too big
<br />or out of fashion, doesn't mean it won't fit
<br />somebody else," she said.
<br />USAgain sells approximately So percent
<br />dt;
<br />salts, while about 20 percent is recycled
<br />into new materials.
<br />Carson & Shaw, a second -hand cloth-
<br />ing supplier based in Atlanta, Ga. is one
<br />company that purchases USAgain's mate-
<br />rials.
<br />Lisa fepseu, President of Gerson& Shaw,
<br />referred to its relationship with USAgain as
<br />a business partnership where textiles are
<br />bought from USAgain and sold to different
<br />suppliers, Including second- hand stores
<br />and to markets in third -world countries
<br />including those in Ewop a and Africa.
<br />Jepson said companies such as USAgain
<br />make it possible to clothe people who are
<br />struggling.
<br />'The second -hand clothes are of very
<br />good quality? she said. "For me, it means a
<br />lot th e t we are bringing all the clothes to the
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<br />t,400 t im.itofdropboxesm lire
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<br />85perdentofused ctotfiingthatgoesto.
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<br />,$074478C*yardsoflandfll space
<br />• saved each year by. dohaUng to US4galn
<br />389,0080001tems savedfomland -'.'
<br />811sbyUSAgaidsS1499
<br />- Sobrce.US4a1n ...
<br />markets W these comities where people
<br />really need clothes and shoes at a price that
<br />they can afford. It's very bad that for them
<br />to end up In landfills."
<br />Ifabusinesshasadropboxon ite,Grewal
<br />EmployeeAnnondo Mender
<br />toads abalerwhhused clothes
<br />thetwWbe computed at
<br />USAgetn'swarehause In West
<br />Chkagoon ieb.10,The clothes
<br />wlllehherhesoldinmete
<br />shopsorrecycledinto new
<br />materials such as m attress
<br />Padding &Mierforcers. Stitt
<br />PixaMNShIaaTh
<br />said there' a revenue•sharing program
<br />whore a percentage of the sales benefit the
<br />site host. Businesses also have to option of
<br />to donating the earnings to a charity of its
<br />choice,
<br />"Even though we area for- profitcompa-
<br />ny, we give a lot back to communities, and
<br />we are looking for more ways to help out
<br />local people" Grewal said. "We have fund-
<br />raising programs for schools, churches and
<br />other nonprofit organizations"
<br />By entering your zip code on USAgain's
<br />webslte, wwwusagain.com, the to closest
<br />drop box locations are listed,
<br />°Convenience is what we focus on,'
<br />Crewel said, "We want to make recycling
<br />easy. We say recycling le important for a
<br />sustainable future. We want to give people
<br />another option?
<br />www.usagain.com
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