Clothing and textiles are banned from the trash in Massachusetts.
The City of Cambridge offers free weekly curbside textiles collection, as well as drop-off bins at select locations. To schedule your free pick-up, use the Clothing/Textiles Collection tool below. Approximately 95% of textiles and accessories could be reused/repurposed. This initiative supports the city's goals of reducing waste and is launched in accordance with recommendations from the City's Zero Waste Master Plan.
What clothing and textiles are accepted? All clean and dry pieces, even with stains or missing buttons, can be re‐used and repurposed. Don’t forget linens, towels, shoes, and accessories, like hats, gloves, socks, underwear, belts, purses, handbags, of any style, age or condition. For more details see FAQs below.
Schedule a Pick-Up
This is a free service to Cambridge residents, but advanced scheduling is required. To schedule a collection, visit our partner’s HELPSY webpage here.
To drop-off your textiles, use the Get Rid of It Right tab below and search “textiles” to find a drop-off bin near you.
To go back to the main waste collections webpage, click here.
Sign up for a free at-home pick at this webpage. Or bring your clothing to a drop off bin.
Anything you can wear, sleep in, or dry yourself off with!
All clean and dry textiles, even torn pieces with stains or missing buttons, can be re‐used and repurposed.
Don’t forget linens, towels, shoes and accessories, like hats, gloves, socks, underwear, belts, ties, purses, handbags, of any style, age or condition.
For a more complete list see here:
Footwear (Tie laces together, if possible)
- Shoes
- Heels
- Flats
- Sandals
- Flip flops
- Boots (all varieties)
- Sneakers
- Cleats
- Slippers
Clothing
- Tops (t-shirts, blouses, shirts, tank tops)
- Sweaters
- Sweatshirts
- Dresses
- Outerwear (coats, jackets, blazers)
- Bottoms (pants, slacks, jeans, sweatpants, skirts, shorts)
- Suits
- Pajamas
- Intimates (slips, bras, underwear, socks)
- Baby Clothing
Accessories:
- Hats
- Bags (Pocketbooks, backpacks, duffle bags, totes)
- Belts
- Gloves
- Ties
- Scarves
- Bathrobes
- Jewelry
Linens
- Sheets/Pillowcases
- Blankets
- Comforters
- Curtains/Drape
- Aprons
- Dish Cloths
- Table Linens
- Quilts
Other
- Large Fabric Scraps (Larger than a cloth napkin)
Not Accepted
Small household items (donate)
Bed pillows
Pillows larger than a throw pillow
Small fabric scraps
Electric Blankets
No. Place your bag(s) of textiles out by 7:00am the morning of the collection with note saying “Textiles Pickup” attached. Put bags in as visible location close to your front door (walkway/porch). The collection crew will pick up your textiles before 4:00 pm. Do not place the items at the curb earlier than 6pm the day before your collection. (Plastic bags are strongly recommended.)
If a bin is full, please notify HELPSY at
helpsy.co/contact or email
info@helpsy.co
Groups can partner and raise money for each pound of textiles created by partnering with the City of Cambridge and HELPSY. We will take care of the logistics!
- Have a drop-off bin on site
- Host a clothing drive
- Schedule a monthly pick-up
Get in touch and we will see what might work for you! Email recycle@cambridgema.gov
Every item is examined by hand. Approximately 95% of all clothing, shoes and other textiles can be given a second life.
- The best 40-50% are resold as clothes in the US and Latin America — that's what pays for the collections and supports so many American jobs at the sorting and retail companies
- Another 25% or so are cut into wiping rags for use by different industries, bars, and contractors.
- The least-useful 20-25% or so would be ground into insulation. This insulation would be used in carpet padding and commercial (not residential) furniture.
Our textiles recovery partner, HELPSY, is a Certified B Corporation. B Corporations legally must prioritize their environmental mission and workforce well-being, alongside profitability. Proceeds from the sales of clothing pay for:
- drivers and staff
- trucks and equipment
- payments to the City and bin hosts
- its 200 charity partners and
- its local vendors.
You can learn more about HELPSY on their website.
Yes, there are several local efforts to collect and distribute textiles locally.
We partner with HELPSY because they will accept both good-condition and poor-condition items. And, HELPSY is terrific at the logistics. The expensive part is getting the right clothes to people who want and need them. That is what HELPSY does. Thrift stores also help with this. HELPSY buys more than 40,000 pounds of surplus clothes from Boston-area thrift stores each week. This helps thrift stores turn over their inventory and fund their missions.
Clothing and textiles are banned from the trash in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is running out of space for trash. We need to recycle, compost, and reduce/reuse more! While 95% of all clothing, shoes and other textiles could have a second life, 85% are dumped in the landfill or incinerator. Still, more than 84% of textiles end up in a landfill or an incinerator, according to the EPA.
The apparel industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution. By recovering textiles from the trash, we can reduce global climate emissions, water consumption, and our waste in landfills.
No. HELPSY will only pick-up clothing and textiles. Use the "Get Rid of It Right” tool above to determine how to dispose of these items.
