Mayor, Councillors partner for successful Earth Day clothing drive

  Last Saturday, Mayor Gary Christenson partnered with Ward 8 Councillor Jadeane Sica and Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora to conduct a clothing drive in honor of Earth Day. Residents dropped off more than 3,600 pounds of clothing and textiles to have recycled by the City of Malden’s textile vendor, Helpsy. Not only was keeping these materials out of the waste stream an environmental win, but proceeds from the recycled materials are put directly back into the Malden Public Schools.

  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 84 percent of these types of items end up in a landfill or an incinerator. On average, that works out to about 85 pounds per person each year. As a result, textiles make up more than six percent of all the residential and municipal trash in the United States.

  For residents who did not have a chance to participate, you may recycle unwanted textiles year-round by making a home pickup appointment with Helpsy by visiting www.cityofmalden.org/textiles or by calling 800-244-6350.