Submitted by Becky Rice, Director of Senior & Social Services
(May 31, 2023) — Did you know that more than eleven million tons of textiles end up in landfills every year in our country? 3.2 million more are incinerated, and only about 14% of all discarded textiles get recycled. However, according to Baystate Textiles, with whom the Town of Haddam has partnered, almost half of discarded clothing can be reused, and that is exactly what we aim to do at the Community Closet, located upstairs at the “Annex Building” at 11 Jail Hill Rd in Haddam. When you donate your clothes, we sort through them, hanging everything that is clean and in good condition in the Community Closet to be reused by our neighbors. But it is actually your unsuitable clothing that is useful to our Fuel Bank.
How so? After sorting through the clothing that is donated (either in the big, white Baystate trailer or in the bin outside the front door of our building), items that are unusable due to being stained, torn, or more than gently used, are loaded back into trailer. This trailer is picked up once a week and is taken back to headquarters by Baystate Textiles. From there, they weigh all items, and write a check to the tune of $120 per ton to Haddam Social Services, which gets deposited directly into our Fuel Bank account. Of the clothing and textiles that are unusable, about 85% gets recycled into washing rags, or broken down into fibers and made into new material. In this way you can help those in need with oil and propane in the colder months, while at the same time preserving the environment.
Last year the clothing collection enriched our fuel bank by more than $1000. Our hope is to multiply that number this year by raising awareness of this excellent opportunity to help your neighbors.
The Community Closet is open to anyone, and we encourage everyone to shop or donate. You can drop your bags in the trailer, or in the bin by the door of the office/food bank. We are open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays. We have a variety of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, and we also accept shoes, hats, purses and coats, as well as accessories.
