Chesterfield to Offer Curbside Textile Recycling

CHESTERFIELD, Mo., April 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Chesterfield is teaming up with Republic Services, a recycling and waste industry leader, and USAgain, a national textile recycler, to offer residents a curbside textile collection pilot program. The new service will begin on Saturday, April 2, and it will be offered to Chesterfield residents on the first Saturday of each month for the next year.

The textile recycling pilot program will accept all clothes and shoes, including those that are used, stained, ripped or mismatched, as well as household items such as sheets, drapes and towels. Items in good condition will be re-worn and reused, and the rest will be recycled into insulation material, wiping rags or to reclaim fiber for making new textiles. This week, Chesterfield households received flyers by mail with information on acceptable items, as well as details on the curbside collection process.

"Our partnership with Republic Services continues to benefit our residents," said Michael Herring, city administrator for the City of Chesterfield. "Effective April 2016, Republic, in coordination with USAgain, will make available curbside textile recycling services at no additional cost to residents. Our residents are strong recyclers, averaging 395 tons per months; this creates yet another opportunity for our community to recycle. We support Republic's on-going efforts to encourage recycling and commend them for their leadership."

USAgain has been offering textile recycling bins in the area since 2000, and will begin collection services at Chesterfield's 13,500 households this Saturday morning.

"Clothing consumption has increased fivefold in the last 30 years. This means we also dispose of our clothes at a much faster rate," said Mattias Wallander, chief executive officer of USAgain. "With 11 million tons of textile waste going to landfills each year, it is more important than ever to provide communities a convenient recycling option. We are excited to make textile disposal easier with a curbside program, and look forward to helping the City of Chesterfield divert textiles from the waste stream."

Republic Services has been proudly serving the City of Chesterfield since 1990, and is assisting USAgain with routing and operations support.

"Any time we can enable customers to reduce, reuse and recycle more, it is a good thing," said Casey Powers, general manager of Republic Services. "We were the first company in metropolitan St. Louis to introduce All-In-One Recycling™ to residents, and the first to introduce it to commercial customers. It is only fitting that this year, in celebration of Earth Day, we are partnering with the City of Chesterfield and USAgain to introduce another curbside recycling initiative."

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing, linens and other textiles each year. Textiles account for approximately five percent of the domestic municipal solid waste stream. On average, only 15 percent of all textiles are recycled annually.  

About the City of Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a vibrant city with an exceptional blend of restaurants, retail and unique events located just about 25 minutes west of downtown St. Louis. Our city was formed in 1988 by citizens who cared deeply about the area and the quality of life and invest in two excellent school districts, as well as several outstanding private schools. Chesterfield features over 150 restaurants and hundreds of retail shops ranging from unique family owned stores to convenient big box retailers. Take a stroll through our beautiful parks and trails or visit a few the area's best museums and art galleries. www.chesterfield.mo.us

About USAgain
USAgain, a leader in textile recycling since 1999, is a for profit company with regional office in St. Louis, Missouri. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing. By depositing surplus clothing and shoes for recycling in a USAgain bin, communities can help give new life to surplus clothing, increase recycling rates and diverting waste from landfills while conserving natural resources across the globe.

About Republic Services
Republic Services, Inc. is an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste. Through its subsidiaries, Republic's collection companies, recycling centers, transfer stations and landfills focus on providing effective solutions to make proper waste disposal effortless for their commercial, industrial, municipal, residential and oilfield customers. We'll handle it from here.^TM, the brand's tagline, lets customers know they can count on Republic to provide a superior experience while fostering a sustainable Blue Planet^TM for future generations to enjoy a cleaner, safer and healthier world.

To view Republic's 2014 Sustainability Report, go to RepublicServices.com/sustainabilityreport. For more information, visit the Republic Services website at RepublicServices.com. "Like" Republic on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RepublicServices and follow on Twitter @RepublicService.

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