Westchester County is expanding its recycling efforts.
Westchester is now accepting textiles — from clothing and shoes to sheets and towels. Democratic County Executive George Latimer says the initiative not only will expand recycling but will provide a small revenue stream. County Recycling will pay Westchester a $500 annual licensing fee, plus $0.15 for each pound of textiles that’s recovered. Latimer says New York residents and businesses throw away nearly 1.4 billion pounds of usable and recyclable textiles every year. County Recycling is providing a collection bin for the textiles at the Household-Material Recovery Facility in Valhalla. Officials say that just 5 percent of recovered materials are unfit for recycling. The rest makes its way to reuse as apparel, wiping cloths, carpet padding and more.
