Fri August 7, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Betty Kennedy, Associate Director - Operations and Facilities
Mark Facio, Assistant Director for Facilities
ANAHEIM, CA (Aug. 06, 2015)- With the help of USAgain, a for-profit textile recycler, Cal State L.A. collected 3,077 pounds of surplus clothing and shoes through the Green Your Move Out fundraising program. The initiative was intended for students to lighten their move-out load, by recycling and preventing clothes from ending up in a landfill.
“Every pound of clothes or household textiles, we can recycle, is a win for us, but most importantly it’s a win for the environment,” said Mattias Wallander, USAgain CEO. “Just by recycling one T-shirt, you can save 1,300 gallons of water. But a staggering amount of clothing is going to landfills. The EPA estimates 12 million tons of textiles are landfilled in the U.S. every year.”
In order to make the eco-friendly fundraiser flow smoothly, USAgain bins were strategically placed throughout Cal State L.A.’s Student Housing Complex for student residents to access. The program was considered a huge success as students recycled 3,077 pounds of clothing, which translated to 7 million gallons of water saved and over 46,000 pounds of CO2 prevented.
“’Green Your Move Out gave us an easy and immediate way to teach our residents about reducing our impact on the planet while also empowering students with the opportunity to make a beneficial change right away," said Mark Facio, assistant director of facilities for Housing Services at Cal State L.A. “Our waste management infrastructure benefited from the reduced load of textiles being thrown away, while USAgain gave us the opportunity to raise additional funds for every pound we recycled.”
“We are very excited to see the success of the program and strongly believe this will set a great example for other campuses looking to go green,” Wallander said. “When we help universities, it’s a win-win because students are our future and can potentially pass this useful message down to younger generations and perhaps even older.”
USAgain offers year-round eco-friendly fundraising programs for schools called Greenraiser. With no-added campus costs, these education-based fundraisers help develop students’ awareness of textile recycling while earning funds for every pound of textiles collected for recycling and reuse. Check out the details at http://www.usagain.com/greenraiser
Media Contact:
Rasham Grewal
r.grewal@usagain.com
Phone: 630-293-1239 ext. 1001
###
About USAgain
USAgain, a leader in the textile recycling industry since 1999, with corporate headquarters in West Chicago, is a for-profit company that recycles and resells reusable clothing and other textiles. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing, which is then diverted from landfills and resold to markets in need of affordable clothing. USAgain maintains more than 12,500 collection boxes in 19 states and has over 200 employees. USAgain has partnered with more than 1,000 organizations – including schools, churches, food banks, hospitals, fire stations, humane societies and youth groups – as part of its charitable giving program. For more information, visit www.usagain.com.