In partnership with Bay State Textiles, the Office of Campus Services hosted a textile collection drive in the CW parking lot from February 20 – 22. Approximately 500 lbs of clothing, footwear, towels, pillows, and bedding were collected. Textiles were then either donated if in usable condition or recycled into commercial rags & fibers for reuse. For every pound collected, we received a rebate of $0.06, which went towards the IHP’s Community Pantry.
The event was conducted as part of the IHP’s sustainability initiatives to promote reuse, protect human & environmental health, and strengthen community engagement. Despite the 2022 expansion of Massachusetts’ waste disposal ban to include textiles, no textile collection bins currently exist in the Charlestown Navy Yard. The IHP’s drive aimed to expand community outreach and sustainable resources available to the Navy Yard by opening the drive not only to the IHP community but also to local residents and businesses including tenants of Constitution Wharf and the Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard organization.
If you have more unwanted clothing, footwear, and linens to dispose of (in any condition- new, old, ripped, or stained), items can be dropped off at collection boxes throughout the year in cities across Massachusetts to be recycled or donated for reuse and kept out of the trash.