The Manchester Department of Public Works has partnered with Helpsy, a textile recycling service, to provide free home pick-up services for unwanted clothing, shoes, towels, curtains, and other textiles.
Manchester officials say textiles account for about 2,300 — or 6% — of the 38,000 tons of trash thrown out by city residents each year.
Chaz Newton, Manchester's solid waste and environmental programs manager, says this new program is one way to cut down on what goes into the waste stream. Right now, the city has two recycle bins at its waste management facilities, but he hopes this new service will incentivize people to recycle more.
"We don't want to continue to throw things down into a landfill if we don't need to," he says.
Newton also says the city hopes to raise awareness about the fact that a lot of clothing that ends up in a landfill could have been reused.
Helpsy is already providing similar services in other New Hampshire communities, including Hampton, Exeter, Pembroke, Hooksett and Bow.
The textile pick-up will be free to both residents and, Newton says, to the city government. Collected items will be managed at a facility in Massachusetts where the clothes will be given to local thrift stores and a small percentage will be recycled.
Helpsy workers can visit Manchester residents' homes to pick up items every Saturday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Those interested in using the service can fill out this form or call 1-800-244-6350. A list of items that Helpsy accepts can be found here. The materials should be clean, bagged and labeled.
