NEW PALTZ >> Unwanted textile products will be accepted from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the state Department of Environmental Conservation office, 23 S. Putt Corners Road.
The collection is being run by the state office and the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency.
Items that will be accepted include clothing, footwear, sheets, curtains, pillows, handbags, belts and stuffed animals.
Among the item that won’t be accepted are carpets, rugs, mattresses, oil rags and wet or mildewed materials.
“Textiles make up an estimated five percent of the waste stream in New York state,” said Resource Recovery Agency Recycling Coordinator Michelle Bergkamp said. “It’s about 1.4 billion pounds [per year] with a market value of about 15 cents per pound, equaling approximately $200 million of potentially recoverable materials which are disposed.”
Saturday’s event is part of a campaign by the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling to have people recognize they can do more to cut down of the amount of material that ends up in landfills.
“A lot of people have socks which are mismatched or a shirt with holes or a sleeping bag that is ripped,” Bergkamp said. “All of these items that are being placed in the trash can actually be recycled.”
Bergkamp said efforts to make the public aware of textile disposal alternatives led to the agency collecting 600 pounds of material last month.
Officials said only about 15 percent of unwanted textiles are recycled, with the remainder amounting to about 70 pounds of material per year per person that could be reused.
