America generates 17 million metric tons of textile waste annually, but Trashie thinks it has found a solution. The subscription recycling service lets consumers mail in damaged clothes and electronics for points, tackling a crisis that sends most textiles straight to landfills despite their potential for reuse.
Trashie just made throwing away your torn bedsheets feel like environmental activism. The textile recycling startup is attacking America's 17 million metric ton annual textile waste problem with a simple proposition - mail us your damaged clothes, earn rewards for shopping.
The numbers behind textile waste paint a grim picture. The UN Environment Programme reported 92 million metric tons of global textile waste in 2017, with the US accounting for nearly 20% of that mountain. Most recycling programs don't accept textiles, leaving consumers to toss everything from holey sheets to stained sweaters into regular trash bound for landfills.
"In the USA, there would be a higher amount of waste than there has been in the past. I don't see it slowing down at this point in time," Dr. Andre West, director of The Zeis Extension at North Carolina State University's Wilson College of Textiles, told Wired. Fast fashion drives much of the acceleration.
Trashie's Take Back Bags cost $20 and accept clean textiles that wouldn't qualify for donation - think dog-chewed duvet covers or clothing with permanent stains. The company also offers $25 Take Back Tech Boxes for old electronics. Each shipment earns 30 "TrashieCash" points redeemable for discounts at partner retailers.
CEO Kristy Caylor, who witnessed textile waste firsthand during her fashion industry career, built Trashie around certified recycling partnerships primarily in the United States. "Our material recycling happens after the sorting process and through a network of certified partners," Caylor explained to Wired. "These partners work according to the Global Recycled Standard."
The sorting process resembles traditional recycling - items with remaining life get donated to charity, while damaged textiles continue through recycling. Cotton sheets might become pet bed filling, while other materials transform into insulation, carpet padding, or industrial rags. Some textiles get re-spun into new yarns for manufacturing.
Dr. West highlighted why this matters beyond waste reduction. "Sorting products is still in its infancy of how to do it properly," he noted. "Even if you sorted by color, they're all made from different materials with buttons, zippers, and linings." Items are often mislabeled, complicating recycling since different fibers require distinct processing methods.
