Earth Month Challenge is USAgain's annual textile recycling competition that encourages students to collect clothes and shoes for re-wear, reuse, and recycling. The month-long contest started on March 15th. The winners were selected based on the total pounds of textiles collected in the USAgain bin placed at the school premises. All participating schools earned funds based on the pounds collected.
Over the course of the competition, Pui Tak Christian School collected 4,799 pounds securing the first position and was closely followed Lockport Township High School in Lockport and St. Clare School in O'Fallon securing second and third positions, respectively.
"Congratulations to all of the participating schools for their impressive work. It's great to see schools so enthusiastic about the competition, and we hope it has inspired them to be keen recyclers," said USAgain CEO, Mattias Wallander. "Reusing and recycling resources are the best ways to begin building a more sustainable environment."
Wallander noted that 11 million tons of all unwanted clothing in the U.S. is thrown into the trash and buried in landfills each year, according to the U.S. EPA. Nevertheless, the 15 percent of apparel that does get a second life is equivalent to taking one million cars off the road for a year.
USAgain offers educational resources and other tools that help schools learn about the impact of textile recycling. USAgain is excited to share their successes with the broader community with the hope that it will inspire other schools to reinvigorate or initiate their recycling programs.
