What a waste! Thinking of throwing that Halloween costume or socks into the trash? Think again, please. Clothes and any other kind of textiles are NOW BANNED in Massachusetts trash.

There is so much clothing around that it has clearly become disposable. As a result, more and more textile waste is generated.

Huge amounts of clothes are produced but thrown away or never worn. According to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), our residents and businesses toss away approximately 460 million pounds of clothing, shoes, and other textiles a year.

It is surprising to learn that around 85% of textiles thrown away in the U.S. are dumped into landfills or burned. Only 15% are donated or recycled.

And what is critical is that about 95% of all this material could be reused or recycled instead of thrown away! Textiles in the trash have become an UNSUSTAINABLE situation.

So, as of November 1, 2022, TEXTILES (clothing, bedding, towels, etc.) are BANNED from the trash and need to be recycled. This is a statewide ban affecting all Massachusetts cities and towns.

Good news! Ipswich is already recycling textiles! Collect your clothing, footwear (singles are okay), handbags, belts, hats, scarves, undergarments, blankets, sheets, drapes, linens, pillows, plush toys, and more (full lists are available at IpswichRecycles.org).

Then bring your textiles to the Ecosmith box at any of Ipswich’s schools or to the transfer station’s American Red Cross box. Additional boxes will be located at town hall and the transfer station in the coming weeks.

Need curbside pickup? Visit Helpsy.com/ipswichma to see their list and to sign up.

What happens to textiles that are donated? Almost half are reused and sold as secondhand apparel, either through charitable organizations domestically or for-profit exporters that sell baled clothing to developing countries.

Another third of donated textiles are converted to industrial wiping cloths for industries such as automotive and public works.

Fiber conversion companies grind textiles down into their basic fiber components to be remanufactured into insulation for automotive vehicles or home, carpet padding, or soundproofing material.

And a small remainder is discarded because it is mildewed or stained with hazardous or toxic materials.

Full disclosure demands that we understand that the glut of foreign clothes by for-profit textile recyclers has flooded the countries in Africa and Central America with Western clothes, causing even more waste and the destruction of those countries’ own textile and clothing industries.

Just because clothes are donated in an act of charity doesn’t mean there aren’t any consequences.

The garment industry produces almost 14 times as many clothes as there are humans on this planet.

Instead of a landfill in the United States, there now is a larger landfill or dump of clothes in a much poorer country — or that an entire textile industry in that poorer country has collapsed.

Mindful consumption of clothes is the key way to combat this. Don’t buy what you don’t need.

In addition, as of November 1, mattresses and box springs are also banned from the trash in Massachusetts and need to be recycled or donated. More information on this will be forthcoming.

Questions? Email IpswichRecycles@gmail.com, call  978-356-6612., or visit the Facebook page at Ipswich Recycles and Composts.