Seattle and King County residents toss nearly 40,000 tons of worn-out clothes, shoes and linens into the garbage each year. But nearly 95 percent of it could be recycled.
The Threadcycle campaign is a joint project of King County and Seattle Public Utilities. Organizers are urging residents to skip the trash and donate.
Threadcycle program manager Liz Fikejs said even items that might seem useless can be recyclable.
"The single items like, you know, that single sock or the single shoe or the single glove -- those get paired up and are given to folks who wouldn’t have them otherwise," Fikejs said.
Old jeans and stained shirts, for example, can be turned into insulation in homes and vehicles.
Dozens of drop off stations are located throughout King County.
