Clothing and Textile Recovery

Effective November 1, 2022: Textiles are banned from disposal or transport for disposal in Massachusetts.

The MassDEP Mattress & Textile Waste Ban Communications Toolkit provides a library of images, materials, strategies, and tips you can use to get the word out about this change to the residents of your community.

For waste disposal ban purposes, textiles are defined as bedding, clothing, curtains, fabric, footwear, towels, and similar items. Virtually any textile can be reused, repurposed, or recycled if clean and dry. Even worn, torn, and stained items have recovery value.

Certain contaminated textiles are exempt from the disposal ban. For definitions, see the regulations.

Learn about your city or town's responsibilities for complying with the new provisions and companies that provide textile collection services in Additional Resources below.

While collecting textiles for reuse and recycling provides important environmental, social, and economic benefits, it is important that textile collection locations are properly located, overseen and managed.   Improperly managed collection locations can result in:

• People dropping off any and all unwanted items, not just textiles - including leaving them on the ground outside containers, creating eyesores and attracting pests; and
• Resident confusion over whether containers are maintained by charitable organizations or for-profit businesses.

Learn how some Massachusetts communities are addressing these issues through the adoption of local by-laws and regulations. See examples in Additional Resources below.

• Massachusetts residents and businesses dispose of approximately 230,000 tons of textiles annually.
• The 2022 Massachusetts waste characterization data states that 5 percent of the waste in our trash is made up of textiles, including clothing, curtains, towels, and other fabrics.
• About 95 percent of the textiles currently being thrown away could be donated, reused, or recycled instead.

The infographic below illustrates how valuable these textiles can be.

Infographic courtesy of Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART)®

Caption: This infographic is titled "The Secret Double Life of Donated Textiles." It explains that nearly 100% of donated textiles can be recycled into different grades with 45% becoming usable clothing, 20% becoming fiber conversion grade and 30% becoming wiping cloth grade. It talks about how recycled clothing "Closes the Loop" by using less water and energy, saving money and resources, and supporting an affordable secondhand market

See Additional Resources below to learn more.