Mon May 19, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2014 (CHICAGO, IL) – USAgain, the for-profit textile recycling company, is delighted to announce the winners of its 2014 nationwide Earth Month Challenge. Over 600 schools nationwide participated in the competition, and the top five schools earned cash prizes of up to $1,000 for helping in the mission to reuse and recycle textiles.
Chicago’s Pui Tak Christian School (2301 S. Wentworth Ave.) lead the pack with 4,023 pounds of textiles. Amador Valley High School (1155 Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton, California) collected 3,868 pounds and a $750 prize. Byron Cusd No. 226 (696 N. Colfax in Byron, Illinois) received 3,606 pounds and a $500 prize. St. Clare School (214 West 3rd St., in O’Fallon, Illinois) rounded up 2,712 pounds and a $250 prize. And Brentwood Academy (2086 Clarke Ave., in East Palto Alto, California) got 2,557 pounds and a $100 prize.
And even schools that didn’t make it to the top five in ranking were compensated for their recyclables. Active participants earned funds for each pound of collected textiles. The total amount of textiles collected were 302,915 pounds which resulted in preventing over 2.12 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, over saving 424 million gallons of water, and avoiding approximately 1,730 cubic yards of landfill space. That’s enough room to fill up 69.2 garbage trucks.
“Earth Month Challenge is a great way for everyone to get involved in recycling -- teachers, students and visitors to the schools -- for free,” said Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain. “Their contributions will help clothe people in worldwide communities.”
Any clothing that cannot be reused in secondhand shops will be repurposed as industrial cleaning rags, furniture and/or car insulation and more.
The EPA estimates that 11.1 million tons of textiles end up in landfills, which leads to over 1.3 million pounds of CO2. Programs like the Earth Month Challenge help curb these pollution numbers and lend a hand to those in need at the same time.
About USAgain
USAgain -- a leader in the textile recycling industry with corporate headquarters in West Chicago, Illinois -- is a for-profit company that recycles and reuses clothing, shoes and textiles. Its mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of surplus clothing, which is diverted from landfills. In 2013, USAgain was awarded an “A” rating by the Better Business Bureau. It maintains more than 14,000 recycling bins in 18 states.