Textile Recycling Returns To Stratford

STRATFORD, CT — Mayor Laura R. Hoydick announced Wednesday a partnership between the town, the Stratford school system and Bay State Textiles to place textile recycling collection bins at school locations throughout Stratford.

Residents can deposit their used post-consumer textiles, including clothes, shoes, linens, and plush toys in the bins for recycling, with proceeds set to benefit the school system, according to Hoydick.

“This is a great opportunity as we observe Earth Day for residents to make a difference both for the environment, and our school system,” Hoydick said in a news release. “The town had a previous arrangement for textile recycling with a company which had to end our service due to the pandemic, so we are pleased to get back in the business of recycling textiles, reducing significant bulk in our waste stream, and earning some funds for the school system along the way.”

Michelle Genuario, an art teacher at Stratford High School, said: “Our schools are excited about this environmental partnership and educating our community about our carbon footprints.”

Bay State will pay the town $100 per ton of material collected, according to the news release.

One bin will be placed at each school location in Stratford in the coming days, and material will be collected at least bi-weekly by Bay State. The funds associated with collection at each location will be turned over to the school where the textiles were collected. Two additional collection bins will be placed at the transfer station on Watson Boulevard.

“The Bay State Textile team is looking forward to working with the Town of Stratford reclaiming unwanted clothing, shoes and household linens,” Paul Curry, owner of Bay State Textiles, said in a statement. “Please learn more about the industry and post-consumer textiles at baystatetextiles.com.”

Bay State Textiles offers a “solution to deal with the problem of unwanted textiles,” the news release states. “They partner with schools and communities to create a process for diverting clothing donations along with shoes, and fabrics away from the solid waste stream, creating a new source of revenue for the community.”

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