Borough agrees to deal for textile recycling

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NAUGATUCK — Borough officials have agreed to recycle textiles through an Ohio-based company.

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses last week approved a five-year contract with Simple Recycling.

Assistant to the Public Works Director Sandra Ribeiro said the company provides bags with the company logo on them to fill with any unwanted clothing as well as other items, including blankets, shoes, jackets, costume jewelry and small appliances. Residents place the bags next to their trash and recycling barrels on the day their recycling is collected and the company will pick up the bags, she said.

Under the contract, the borough pays nothing for the service and would receive $20 per ton of textiles the company collects, Ribeiro said. The company is able to opt out of the contract at any time, she said.

The arrangement could have economic benefits for the borough aside from the money the company pays for the textiles, Ribeiro said.

In 2018, the borough went from receiving $16 a ton for recyclables to paying $23 a ton. The cost of trash disposal also increased to $70 per ton.

Ribeiro said making it easy for people to recycle their unwanted clothes and household items will remove those items from the trash and recycling bins and help save the borough money.

“We have those people who are cleaning out their closet in the spring and just decide they are going to throw everything in their gray bin, whatever it is,” Ribeiro said.

The program is expected to begin in the spring, Ribeiro said. Any resident who wants additional bags will be able to pick them up at the recycling center or at the Public Works Department on Rubber Avenue, she said.

If the company does not pick up a bag that is set out, residents can call the company and someone will come back for the bag, Ribeiro said.

“They are out every day because some part of town has a recycling collection,” Ribeiro said. “They will come back and collect it. They will keep everything tidy.”