NYC’s Fashion Faux Pas: Textiles in Landfills

“Textiles are the next frontier for [waste] diversion and reuse,” said Joshua Goodman, spokesman for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), in a 2025 New York Times article. “Historically, [the] capacity to do anything with textiles has been limited, but that is changing.”

This is good news for New Yorkers, who are increasingly looking for ways to recycle their old clothes, bedding, and other textiles. In PromoLeaf’s study of 151 cities, New York ranked #1 in those most actively googling for ways to recycle clothing, with 10,440 related monthly searches – nearly double that of second place Los Angeles. 

However in the same study, New York was ranked 63rd for cities leading the way in textile recycling. Closing that gap between what New Yorkers want and what the government currently provides will be critical as the the city works to meet its Zero Waste by 2030 target.

Why Textiles?

The average New York City household discards 92 pounds of textile waste each year, according  to the DSNY’s 2023 Waste Characterization Study. As shocking as that sounds, it represented measurable progress from 2017, when the average household discarded nearly 123 pounds of textile waste. That year, textiles comprised 6.3% of all residential curbside waste. 

And that’s a big problem, because textiles that are buried in landfills present significant environmental and health problems. 

According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), decomposing textiles can release methane – a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change – while PFAS, or forever chemicals, which are used in waterproofing treatments, can be released through gas emissions or leach into the water supply. 

The GAO further cites a 2024 federal report finding that “60% of textiles contain microplastics…[that] may leach and accumulate in soil and groundwater as discarded textiles decompose in landfills.”

The clothes we throw away today don’t simply disappear, they live on to pollute our air and water for years to come. 

New York City Textile Recycling: Past and Present

In 2011, the city launched Re-Fashion NYC with the goal of reducing the amount of clothing that ended up in landfills. Landlords or building managers could opt-in to the program online and obtain a city-issued recycling bin but were then responsible for monitoring and coordinating pickups. 

Re-fashion NYC has since been scrapped and replaced with other DSNY-run programs, including community recycling events in each of the 59 NYC Community Board Districts where e-waste and textiles are collected, textile drop-off sites (both permanent locations, and seasonal ones like farmers’ markets), in addition to connecting residents with myriad nonprofits and retail drop-off locations across each of the five boroughs. A map detailing each drop-off location can be found here. 

Another approach underway is the DSNY’s Textile Recycling Collection Program – which is currently only available for office buildings, schools and non-profit organizations, and apartment buildings with ten or more units. The program is a collaboration with the New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. and Helpsy, which provide the bins and arrange for pick-up. 

The textiles accepted include all types of clothes, as long as they are clean, dry, and odorless; accessories such as shoes and hats; household fabrics like towels and bedding; and even backpacks, certain rugs, and blankets. 

Additionally, businesses where textiles make up more than 10% of the waste during any month “are required by law to separate and recycle or repurpose all textile waste,” according to the DSNY. 

In their 2026 Draft Solid Waste Management Report, the DSNY pledged to continue to examine and advance textile recycling and reuse programs, including establishing collection options for all city households and institutions, adding more community recycling events, and expanding appointment-based pickup for low-rise buildings (those with fewer than 10 units), which are currently excluded from the Textile Recycling Collection Program.

“The Next Frontier”

The DSNY should be commended for their ongoing efforts to ensure more and more New Yorkers have options to recycle their textiles. But if the city is going to achieve its zero waste goals – and provide the level of service residents demand – our elected leaders need to give New York’s Strongest the strongest tool in the kit: curbside textile recycling.

To this end, NYLCV supports the passage of Intro 256 of 2026, sponsored by Council Member Crystal Hudson. This bill would require the DSNY to conduct a study and report on the feasibility of a mandate for households to separate, and the DSNY to collect textile waste. This bill takes the important first step of identifying opportunities and challenges in scaling textile recycling citywide. 

In FY25, just 4.3% – or approximately 8,000 tons – of the city’s total textile waste was captured for reuse or recycling, according to the DSNY. That means more than 178,000 tons ended up in the waste stream, left to pollute our air and water. 

Expanding the textile recycling options available to New Yorkers – as the DSNY has committed to doing – is a necessary step, not least because legislation and new programs like curbside collection will take time to develop and implement, even with strong public support and the political will to act. 

In the meantime, New Yorkers can do two things: take advantage of and spread the word about the textile recycling options already available, and tell their Council Member that they support the creation of a comprehensive citywide curbside program.

We can’t afford to treat textile recycling as an accessory. We need policies that are practical, effective, and built to last – because sustainability never goes out of style.