Fri November 15, 2013
See the original story on Trib Local
WEST CHICAGO (November 13, 2013) - USAgain, the textile recycling company based in West Chicago, IL, has announced the winners of its inaugural Green-T Awards. Among them is Will County Resource Recovery and Energy Division, recipient of the award for Outstanding Recycling Event and Will County Forest Preserve District, recipient of the award for Innovative Community Recycling Program.
The Green-T awards seek to recognize and positively reinforce individuals and organizations that support recycling and sustainability in Illinois.
The Resource Recovery and Energy Division is being recognized for its Textile Recycling Week event. Over the course of April 29 to May 3, Will County residents brought over 3,000 pounds of clothing to the County Office Building in Joliet to be recycled. Will County has hosted the event since 2006, and the amount collected this year was the largest in the event’s history.
“Kids outgrow clothes, we change sizes and items from table linens to ties go out of fashion,” said Marta Keane, Recycling Program Specialist of Will County Resource Recovery and Energy Division. “Finding ways to reuse and recycle these valuable materials when we no longer want them is important. We thank USAgain for partnering with Will County to offer residents ‘green’ options for all their textiles.”
The Green-T awards seek to recognize and positively reinforce individuals and organizations that support recycling and sustainability in Illinois.
“Will County’s Textile Recycling Week did a great job of getting the community interested in recycling,” said Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain. “If other local departments of government held similar events, think of how much waste we could divert from landfills.”
Will County Forest Preserve District recycled a total of 44,278 pounds of clothing and textiles in 2012, a truly impressive amount worthy of recognition. USAgain bins are placed at multiple Forest Preserve locations, which make it very convenient for residents and visitors to recycle their surplus textiles.
“We are pleased that so many county residents take the time and effort to recycle their clothing, and that we can provide this service through USAgain,” said Joe Babich, President of the Forest Preserve Board of Commissioners. “We are honored that USAgain chose the Forest Preserve District of Will County for its Innovative Community Recycling Program award.”
By recycling 44,278 pounds of textiles, Will County saved over 309,000 pounds of CO¬2 from entering the atmosphere; they also saved over 61 million gallons of water through their commitment to recycling.
“We applaud Will County Forest Preserve District for making recycling convenient for their community,” said Mattias Wallander, CEO of USAgain. “The number one way to get people to recycle is to make it easy, so the importance of convenience can’t be emphasized enough.”
Other recipients of USAgain’s Green-T Awards include Larsen Middle School and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. For a full list of award recipients, visit http://www.usagaingreentawards.com/winners.