The City of Mesa is looking to extend the life of its landfills by asking for the shirt on your back — when you no longer want it.
Mesa is piloting a series of recycling containers to collect textile materials, such as clothing, shoes, towels and even stuffed animals. Unlike other clothing donation drop-offs, which give clothes to those in need, this program is going after the material itself.
According to the EPA, an estimated 14.3 million tons of textiles were placed into municipal landfills in 2012, and only 15.7 percent of that was recovered. That consumes limited landfill space and buries or incinerates usable cotton and nylon that could be made into other products.
The containers are at Dobson Ranch Park, East Mesa Service Center and the Juanita/Country Club Park & Ride and take textiles in any condition, so long as they are dry and free of solvents and oil contamination.
