FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2025
“Goodwill is proud to participate in this pilot program, which allows our generous donors to thoughtfully give their textiles a second life, while also helping us support individuals getting a second chance at success in our community” – Ryan Burgess, CEO of Goodwill Columbus.
(Columbus, Ohio) —
SWACO is working with partners across Franklin County this summer on a project to test and evaluate opportunities for collecting, sorting, baling and recycling clothing that can’t be resold or reused elsewhere.
Clothing that can’t be resold or reused elsewhere because it is stained, ripped, or worn-out and doesn’t meet donation standards is considered to be at its ‘end-of-life’. Historically, there haven’t been many options to recycle these unwanted fabrics, and they commonly wind up in landfills or incinerated here in the U.S. or exported overseas further expanding carbon footprint into low-income communities.
“Textile waste is complex yet a rapidly emerging trend,” said SWACO’s Executive Director Joe Lombardi. “Locally, about 4% of the waste stream is comprised of these materials, putting clothing in the Top 10 most thrown-away items. We’re working with partners to change that.”
Throughout June, July and August, residents can drop off clothing that is at its ‘end-of-life’ for recycling at SWACO’s Recycling Convenience Center and at sites in Bexley, Worthington, Upper Arlington, The Ohio State University, and at select Goodwill Columbus stores.
“Goodwill is proud to participate in this pilot program, which allows our generous donors to thoughtfully give their textiles a second life, while also helping us support individuals getting a second chance at success in our community,” offered Ryan Burgess, CEO of Goodwill Columbus.
“Circular Thrift is proud to have played a key role in designing and implementing the textile collection pilot now underway in Columbus. We believe local action is the foundation of a truly circular economy, and this project demonstrates the power of collaboration between mission-driven organizations. Working with SWACO has allowed us to connect community values with practical, scalable waste solutions—right here in Central Ohio,” said Lisa Goldsand, Founder & CEO of Circular Thrift.
SWACO is coordinating and funding the project, and the materials collected at the various drop off sites will be sorted and baled by Good Land at All American Movers and transported to Leigh Fibers, in South Carolina, which is the largest textile recycling company in the United States. The items will be recycled into products such as acoustic insulation in automobiles, filling applications in furniture, packaging, and sports equipment, as well as thermal insulation in construction materials.
“Having been in the recycling space for the last 100 years, our unwavering commitment to textile sustainability drives every element of our day, ensuring that no fiber ends up in a landfill,” says Steve Lister, Leigh Fibers’ VP of Business Development. “The repurposing and extending of life for spent textiles is critical to our mission. We are so appreciative of the opportunity to work with Joe and his team at SWACO as well as all the other participants working on this project. The magnitude of tackling the environmental impact of discarded used clothing requires collaboration at a grassroots level working with partners that have a shared passion for making a difference in addressing the unsustainable impact on the environment. It undoubtedly takes all of us pulling together, fighting for the greater cause as technology and markets catch up providing scale capabilities to deliver on our joint goal of textile circularity.”
SWACO’s Executive Director Lombardi continued, “We’re pleased to be one of several strategic partners bringing to bear focus, resources and expertise to find long-term, sustainable solutions to an ethical and environmental issue facing our community.”
SWACO and partners will study what it would take to recycle all of central Ohio’s ‘end-of-life’ clothing and other textiles in the future. The outcome of the project will help to inform the strategies included in SWACO’s Greenprint for a Sustainable Future (released in 2025) which aims to drive solutions for textile and other hard-to-recycle waste streams in central Ohio and integrate programs into the region’s broader recycling framework.
For a complete list of accepted items and to find a participating drop-off site for ‘end-of-life’ clothing, visit SWACO’s website.
ABOUT GOODWILL COLUMBUS
Goodwill Columbus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has served the Central Ohio community for over 85 years. With more than 1,200 employees, Goodwill Columbus is one of the region’s largest job providers employing individuals with diverse backgrounds. Goodwill Columbus has 12 retail stores, a last chance outlet, an e-commerce facility, 10 attended donation centers, 5 I/DD service locations, and free job training services at The South Front Street Job Training Center, The Jerry Hammond Center, The Reeb Center, and 14 Columbus Metropolitan Library locations. The organization is a proud member of Goodwill Industries International, a network of over 150 community-based organizations throughout the United States and Canada that sell donated goods to create job opportunities and training in local communities.
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