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Do not place clothing into the green recycling cart

We are in the season of giving, which also means figuring out what to do with all the old stuff the gifts have replaced.

Over the next several days, we will share recycling tips on how you should handle the excess of things that accumulate during the holidays.

Clothing and Other “Tanglers”
Do not place clothing into the green recycling carts.

While it is admirable to want old clothes and other fabric to have a new life, they should not go into the recycling carts.

Clothes placed into the green recycling cart can become tangled around sorting equipment at the Pellitteri Waste Systems facility that handles the city’s recycling. Ropes and hoses also pose a tangling threat to the recycling system. If these “tanglers” become wrapped around equipment at the facility, they will need to halt the entire plant in order to remove the tangle so the sorting equipment can function again.

What to do with Clothes
To give clothes a second life, donate them to area thrift stores. There are several options available. A list of donation options follows later.

Donation bins are also available the Streets Division drop-off sites. The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd and 4602 Sycamore Ave. The sites are open 7:30am to 3:00pm Monday to Friday.

If you do not wish to donate the clothes you no longer need or want, they should be placed into the tan refuse cart. Ropes and hoses should also be placed into the tan refuse cart.

Additional Information
For additional recycling information, go to www.cityofmadison.com/recycling.

Donation Opportunities
Below is a partial list of donation opportunities in Madison. These places accept other usable goods, such as furniture or appliances. And other options to reuse items are available, such as through consignment shops or online exchanges.

The below list includes links to the websites for each organization and phone numbers to contact them if you have questions about whether or not your item can be donated:

Agrace Thrift Store

  • Madison East: 608-327-7200
  • Madison West: 608-833-4556

Bethesda House of Thrift

  • Phone: 608-223-1228

Boomerangs Resale Store

  • Phone: 608-268-0793

Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin

  • Phone: 608-246-4730

Easter Seals Donation Station

  • Phone: 608-257-7780

Goodwill

  • Madison East: 608-246-1990
  • Madison West: 608-271-0048

Habitat for Humanity
(Clothing is not accepted at Habitat for Humanity)

  • Madison East: 608-661-2813
  • Madison West: 608-442-9919

Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM)

  • Phone: 608-836-7338

Porchlight

  • Phone: 608-257-2534, extension 20

Salvation Army

  • Schedule a home collection: 1-800-728-7825

St. Vincent de Paul

  • Madison East: 608-257-0673
  • Madison West: 608-278-6370

YWCA

  • Phone: 608-257-1436, option 2

Contacts