Textile Recycling

Municipal Textile & Clothing Collection Events:

The recent textile collection organized by Falmouth DPW on 9/30 – 10/1 was very successful, collecting 13,750 pounds of material.

Baystate Textiles made a donation of $0.06/ per pound of material collected to Falmouth Public School PTO’s in the amount of $825.00, divided evenly among the five schools that host long-term textile collection boxes.

Thank you to the volunteers from Pick Of The Litter (Falmouth’s swap municipal shop) who helped residents transfer materials from their cars to the collection trailer. 

Summary of recent collection dates and totals:

  1. Nov 19-20, 2022 – 10,750 lbs. (5.4 Tons)
  2. March 31-April 1, 2023 – 4,500 lbs. (2.2 Tons)
  3. June 17, 2023 – 4,500 lbs. (2.2 Tons)
  4. Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2023 – 13,750 lbs. (6.9 Tons)

Total: 35,750 lbs.  (17.9 Tons)

Date of next textile collection TBA. Plans are being made for a winter date and location.
Falmouth Fall Textile Collection 09.30.23

Recent Clothing & Textile Collection Events-

The June 17, 2023 event collected 4,500 pounds of clothing, household linens, towels, shoes, and accessories. Baystate Textiles made a donation of $270.00 (.06 per pound) which they will divide equally among the 5 participating school PTOs. In total, our past three events collected 22,000 pounds (11 TONS) of material, much of which might otherwise have been thrown away.

Falmouth's April 2023 collection event brought in 6,750 pounds of clothing, textiles, shoes, and accessories. Baystate Textiles' donation of ~$337.50 was divided equally among the 5 participating school PTOs.

Our first Textile and Clothing collection event in November 2023 was a big success, diverting 10,750 pounds of material from the landfill! The event generated a $525 donation from Baystate Textiles that benefitted the 5 Falmouth Public School PTOs that participate in Baystate's ongoing school textile collection program. 

Download Textile Collection Event Flyer PDF here-

  1. 09.30.23 Updated Textile Event Flyer

New 2022 state rules require mattresses, clothing, & textiles be kept out of the trash.

Massachusetts residents and businesses throw away about 230,000 tons of usable textiles, including clothing, footwear, belts, hats, handbags, throw rugs, drapes, towels, sheets and other linens EVERY YEAR. 95% percent of this material can be reused as clothing, converted to wiping cloths, or recycled into new fiber-based products.

  • Keeping used textiles out of the trash reduces disposal costs for local government, businesses and residents.
  • Donating used textiles supports local organizations providing jobs and job training to Massachusetts residents.
  • READ Article on Textile Recycling in Falmouth- Talking Trash 01.21.22 - Textiles
  • Mass DEP statement- Textile Recovery Fact Sheet- Mass DEP
  • Materials left in Textile boxes are sorted and graded according to quality and condition, and processed accordingly. Clean and wearable clothing will saved for re-use. Torn or shabby clothing, sheets, or drapes may be diverted to a recycler for shredding to make a variety of consumer and industrial products. 

Donate wearable, in-season, clothing in good condition to local second-hand stores or drop-off clean, dry clothes and household textiles in collection boxes.

CLOTHING & TEXTILE COLLECTION BOX LOCATIONS:

Falmouth

  • Morse Pond School, 323 Jones Rd. (Bay State Textiles)
  • Mullen-Hall Elementary School, 130 Katharine Lee Bates Rd. (Bay State Textiles)

East Falmouth

  • East Falmouth Elementary School, 33 Davisville Rd. (Bay State Textiles)
  • Miller Property, 105 East Falmouth Hwy. (Planet Aid)

Teaticket

  • Teaticket Elementary School, 45 Maravista Ave. Ext. (Bay State Textiles)

North Falmouth

  • North Falmouth Elementary School, 62 Old Main Rd. (Bay State Textiles)
  • Village Pantry, 372 North Falmouth Hwy. (AFAB Recycling)

Woods Hole

  • Woods Hole Fire Station, 419 Woods Hole Rd. (Red Cross/Windward Trading)

Falmouth Waste Management Facility

  • 458 Thomas B. Landers Rd. (Red Cross/Windward Trading)
  • 458 Thomas B. Landers Rd. (Salvation Army)

Baystate Textiles Collections benefit Falmouth Public Schools. PTO’s. https://www.baystatetextiles.com/

  • In 2020, Baystate Textiles collected over 111 TONS of textiles from the donation boxes at Falmouth Public Schools.
  • Read more about local school collections - FPS- Textile Recycling Program

For more information contact Falmouth Recycling & Solid Waste Coordinator.