Published in the May 24, 2017 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Spring cleaning has never felt so good.
The Lynnfield Public Schools PTOs have partnered with Bay State Textiles in order to raise funds for guest speakers next year. Bay State Textiles services over 120 municipalities throughout Massachusetts. Peabody, Reading and Wakefield have partnered with Bay State Textiles.
The company has set up donation boxes outside of all four schools and the DPW yard in order to collect clothes and linens that will be recycled. Bay State Textiles will pay a rebate based on the weight of donations.
The PTOs encourage residents to donate their unwanted textiles in any of the collection boxes set up around town.
The PTO presidents have been working with Bay State Textiles Recycling Development Coordinator Kathryn Larsen the past couple of years in order to get the fundraiser off the ground. Proceeds from the partnership will benefit the LPS PTOs to help defray costs for administration and community wide speakers.
In March, the PTOs brought psychologist Dr. Robert Brooks to town to give a presentation on raising resilient children. The PTOs’ goal for next year is to bring more speakers to town.
In addition to working with Bay State Textiles, the PTOs have been working with Superintendent of Schools Jane Tremblay and the DPW as part of the project. In a phone interview with the Villager, Tremblay said she’s thrilled the PTOs decided to undertake this initiative.
“The collaboration this year with the PTO presidents has resulted in some wonderful opportunities for our school district including Dr. Robert Brooks and our partnership with Bay State Textiles,” said Tremblay. “The revenue from Bay State Textiles will help bring additional speakers to Lynnfield for our parent community.”
According to Bay State Textiles’ website, 21 billion pounds of textiles are thrown away in the United States every year. By recycling textiles, 45 percent of the products can be reused, 30 percent can be turned into wiping cloths and 20 percent can be recycled into new products.
Additionally, the Lynnfield PTOs said in a press release that “the average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of clothing per year,” which for a town Lynnfield’s size is “about 470 tons per year that end up in the trash.”
“By recycling clothing, bedding, accessories and other textiles, Lynnfield residents will help the PTOs, the planet and the town,” said the PTO’s in a press release.
The footwear the PTOs are looking to collect includes shoes, heels, pumps, sandals, boots, work boots, dress boots, winter boots, sneakers, cleats, slippers and flip flops.
The clothing the PTOs are asking people to donate are tops, sweaters, sweatshirts, dresses, tank tops, blazers, pants, jeans, sweat pants, skirts, shorts, slacks, undergarments, socks, T-shirts, slippers, pajamas and coats.
The accessories the PTOs are seeking are hats, pocketbooks, belts, gloves, duffle bags, ties, scarfs, totes and bathrobes. The linens people can donate include sheets, blankets, draperies, pillows, towels, table linens, comforters, throw rugs, placemats and stuffed animals.
The donated items can be in any condition, as 95 percent of all textiles can be recycled. Residents should put their donations in bags.
The items that cannot be accepted include mattresses, couch cushions, carpet remnants and rugs larger than 2×4. The PTOs cannot accept foam products such as mattress pads.
The donation boxes will be located at their respective locations indefinitely as there is no timetable for the end of the program.
Items can be ripped or stained, but all items must be clean and dry. Donated items will be reused, recycled or repurposed. Since Lynnfield pays per ton for trash disposal, the PTOs said, “diverting these materials will also save the town money.”
