In February 2020, BHS Principal Heather Galante approved the Bay State Textiles “School Box Program” proposed by the Facilities Department. In the four months since textile bins arrived, over 8,000 lbs of textiles have been collected and BHS has earned over $400 in rebates! The bins are located behind the high school/library parking lot on Liljegren Way.
“The textile bins have been working well and we are thrilled to have some additional funds during a time when school budgets are tight. We will use the funds at Bedford High School to support student groups focused on environmental causes. Also, since our new back to school guidelines support classes in outdoor spaces, we will use some of the funds to beautify our courtyards and transition them into learning spaces. We are so thankful and know our students and teachers will appreciate this” says Principal Galante.
There is no cost to the program, and Bay State Textiles handles all of the logistics involved. For each ton of textiles collected, a rebate of $100 is credited to Bedford High School.
WHAT IS A TEXTILE?
A textile is any item made from cloth or artificial fabric like vinyl. Textiles are used for clothing, accessories, linens, bedding, upholstery, curtains, carpets, and other items. Any textile item, new or used, worn, torn, or stained, can be recycled. You can even recycle a single shoe! Items simply need to be clean, dry & bagged. The full list of what can and can’t be donated can be found here.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT
Every year, the average person disposes of 81 lbs of textiles. Only 15% is being reclaimed or recycled, while the other 85% spends around 40 years decomposing in landfills. That is 26 billion pounds of textiles releasing harmful CO2 and methane into our atmosphere.
According to MassDEP, “more than 230,000 tons of usable textiles are sent to landfills and incinerators in Massachusetts annually, making up almost 6% of the total waste stream. 95% percent of this material can be reused as clothing, converted to wiping cloths, or recycled into new fiber-based products, providing many economic and environmental benefits” see: Secret Life of Textiles
Thanks for helping BHS green initiatives and our environment!
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