What we take
Threads
The average American trashes 65 pounds of old clothing each year and nearly all of it could be reused or recycled!
This category, sometimes called ‘threads’ also includes shoes, towels, sheets, and other fabric materials.
Each Ridwell member receives a dedicated bag for all of their threads. We work with partners who will make sure they get to a better place than a landfill (or the back of your closet!)
What we do with it
We work with partners who will sort threads based on their condition.
45% of the clothes, shoes, and linens that get collected is reused or repurposed as secondhand clothing. When possible these items are kept locally or domestically supporting local communities. Some items are also sent overseas to communities that cannot afford to purchase items firsthand.
30% of what is collected is recycled and converted into new things considered wiping rags. This material is used as absorbent materials for various industries and residential uses.
20% is turned into fiber that can be used for carpet padding, home insulation, and raw material for automotive industries.
5% is sent to landfills.
About our partners
How we keep your Threads out of landfills.
We partner directly with innovators who transform hard-to-recycle materials into new products—so you can see exactly where your items go and what they become.
Featured Partner
Rag Mine Clothing
Rag Mine Clothing is a family and friends run clothing reuse, repurpose and resale operation based in Kent, Washington that helps to find pre-owned clothing a new home whether it be local or worldwide. Rag Mine works with several local artisanal clothing designers and resellers who can be found in local open air markets around the Puget Sound. They also have a passion for finding a new home for vintage clothing that can still provide many years of enjoyment and style and avoid being sent to local landfills. Additionally, Rag Mine provides support through clothing donations to local homeless shelters and clothing drives throughout the year. Threads provided to Rag Mine will be distributed between local and overseas partners for reuse, repurposing and recycling.
Featured Partner
Goodwill Central Texas
Established in Austin in 1958, Goodwill Central Texas, a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, has become deeply entwined with business and job growth, the environment, and the overall spirit of Central Texas. Goodwill empowers more than 13,000 people each year, helping them fulfill their potential, improve the lives of their families, and contribute to the growth of the community. Goodwill’s mission is to transform generations through education, career training and work. Goodwill strives to preserve the Central Texas landscape by diverting millions of pounds from landfills every year.
Featured Partner
Goodwill Industries
In the last 100 years, Goodwill services have changed to respond to the needs of the times. They began by helping people with disabilities and disadvantages repair donated items. They helped connect neighbors with basic services during the Great Depression and were proud to provide training and jobs to wounded soldiers coming back from World War II. They trained people on computers when technology became part of the American workforce, and during recessions they have been instrumental in connecting people to jobs. Today, we work with Goodwill to ensure that your clothes, shoes, and other textiles get reused or recycled.
Featured Partner
Pioneer Wiping Cloth
At PIONEER WIPING CLOTH, they've been recycling for a long time. Clothing and fabrics that are out of fashion, worn, torn or damaged have not outlived their usefulness. Far from it! The majority of Pioneer's products are made from used material. Furthermore, cloth wipers have the advantage over paper products in that they have more strength, durability and absorbency on the job, along with excellent biodegradability upon disposal.
Featured Partner
Goodwill of Colorado
Goodwill of Colorado provides career development resources and life-skills training for more than 105,000 Coloradans with disadvantages each year—including military veterans, seniors, youth, and individuals who have a disability or barrier to employment. Through its thrift stores, donations, corporate partnerships and recycling processes, Goodwill has worked for more than a century in Colorado to ensure individuals have access to career and life pathways that allow them to live to their fullest potential.
Featured Partner
Goodwill
In the last 100 years, Goodwill services have changed to respond to the needs of the times. They began by helping people with disabilities and disadvantages repair donated items. They helped connect neighbors with basic services during the Great Depression and were proud to provide training and jobs to wounded soldiers coming back from World War II. They trained people on computers when technology became part of the American workforce, and during recessions they have been instrumental in connecting people to jobs.
Today, we work with Goodwill to ensure that your clothes, shoes, and other textiles get reused or recycled.
Featured Partner
Garson and Shaw
Garson & Shaw is based in Atlanta, Georgia where they work on connecting material that is no longer needed with people who can use them and provide a second life. Garson & Shaw is a member of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART). SMART promotes high standards and best practices for domestic and international reuse and recycling of textiles and related secondary materials. SMART members, like Garson & Shaw, reduce solid waste by collecting and connecting networks that will help “close the loop” by processing, reusing, converting, and distributing textiles. Garson & Shaw work with thrift stores, charities and for-profit collection companies to recycle millions of pounds of clothes, shoes and household items every year.
Featured Partner
Goodwill of San Francisco Bay
Goodwill Industries of San Francisco Bay is a 501©3 nonprofit with 34 local retail stores, 33 donation sites, 2 warehouses, 2 Wholesale outlets, e-commerce and aftermarket operations that handle over one million donors per year. Goodwill equips low-income individuals and those with barriers with the skills required to succeed in the 21st century job market. They also hire their trainees to gain transferable skills and valuable on-the-job experience in their stores and warehouses. And for those motivated job seekers who want to pursue a sustainable career track, they help place them in jobs at top Bay Area companies. Goodwill strives to preserve the Bay Area landscape by diverting millions of pounds from landfills every year.
Featured Partner
arc Thrift Stores
For over 50 years arc Thrift Stores has been an integral part of the fabric of Colorado. From the first store on Broadway that opened in 1968, to the multiple retail locations throughout the state, arc prides themselves on being an organization that lives and breathes its mission. Their mission is to enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The proceeds generated through the sale of gently used clothing and household items at arc Thrift Stores are distributed to Arc, ACL, and Advocacy Denver Chapters in Colorado.
