Textile Recycling Pilot

A blue Goodwill donation bin in front of trees located at a neighborhood center

The City of Orlando has adopted a zero waste by 2040 goal to eliminate waste streams entering landfills and incinerators. Some ways this can be accomplished is by eliminating waste before it is created through redesign and reusables, using biodegradable materials for single use items and utilizing waste streams as commodities so they can find new lives as other products.

To help achieve this goal, the Office of Sustainability, Resilience and Future-Ready is partnering with Goodwill to reduce the amount of textile waste being sent to the landfill. This program will provide Orlando residents with a convenient way to donate unwanted clothing, textiles, and fabric items. The collected items will be repurposed, reused or recycled, contributing to environmental sustainability and benefiting local communities through Goodwill's programs. This pilot program is currently located at Rosemont and Callahan Neighborhood Centers with the potential to expand to additional locations.

Textiles are the fastest growing waste stream in the United States. Over 14 million tons of textiles go into landfills every year in the United States. The fashion industry is also concerned about a shortage of certain fibers in the near future, given the growth of “fast fashion.”

Facts on textile waste in the United States:

  • The current textile recycling rate is 15%
  • From 2000-2018, the textile waste generation rate increased 80%, while municipal solid waste grew only by 25.46%
  • Studies show that it takes an estimated 1,800 gallons of water to produce a single pair of typical jeans