SALEM — The city of Salem is partnering with the textile collection company HELPSY to offer free curbside pick-up of clothing and household textiles for recycling beginning on Saturday, April 24.
Pick-ups will occur each Saturday by appointment only. Residents can go to www.helpsy.co/SalemMA to fill out the pick-up request form and choose a pickup time. There will be several pickup dates to choose from, and donations should be left at the curb before 7 a.m. on the chosen date.
HELPSY accepts clean, dry, and bagged clothing and fashion accessories including dresses, shirts, pants, suits, coats, gloves, hats, belts, ties, scarves, wallets, purses, backpacks, totes, shoes, towels, bedding, costumes, curtains, placements, pillows, stuffed animals, tablecloths and throw rugs. These items will be accepted in any condition, whether they are stained, worn or torn, holey, or missing pairs or buttons.
However, HELPSY will not accept breakable housewares, glass items, electronics, furniture, building materials, scrap metal, appliances, mattresses, encyclopedia sets, phone books or magazines.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 81 pounds of clothing is thrown away by the average person each year, and about 95 percent of that can be recycled.
HELPSY said that, as the largest clothing collector in the Northeast, they are “dedicated to changing the way people think about clothing recycling while adhering to the highest level of social and environmental performance, earning the company a Certified B Corporation designation.”
HELPSY partners with communities and organizations across 10 states, with Salem now being one of them.
“As a designated Green Community, Salem is dedicated to strengthening our commitment to recycling efforts,” said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. “Our recurring textile recycling events are always successful, but by expanding that into this new free curbside service, which will take place all year round, we’re making it even more convenient for residents to recycle textile items.”
Driscoll said this will help reduce the volume of solid waste citywide, ultimately saving money on trash disposal and better meeting the community’s sustainability goals.
The waste reduction coordinator for Salem, Micaela Guglielmi, said she is excited to offer a convenient way for residents to sustainably dispose of old clothing.
“Between collection bins, clothing drives, and now this curbside collection service, there is no reason for textiles to end up in the trash,” she said.
More details about the service can be found at www.helpsy.co/home-pickup-faq. If you have any questions about the program, contact Guglielmi at 978-619-5672.
