where to donate plastic hangers

by Prof. Logan Trantow III 10 min read

How to Donate Plastic Hangers

  1. Contact local dry cleaners. Most dry cleaners reuse plastic hangers and accept donations.
  2. Ask area schools and day care centers if they can use extra hangers. Donate clothing for young children on plastic hangers.
  3. Bring a few plastic hangers to your place of work if there seems to be a shortage there.
  4. Look for clothes you don't wear anymore. ...

Salvation Army is always looking for hangers. Just keep in mind they need plastic hangers and they don't accept wire clothes hangers. Besides those options, you can donate your old hangers to local dry cleaners, schools/daycare centers, drift shops, shelters, nursing homes, or even hospitals.

Full Answer

Where can you recycle plastic hangers?

Feb 08, 2022 · To prevent the plastic hangers in your life from going straight to a landfill, donate them to a local thrift store or Goodwill donation center. Though wooden hangers are more expensive per unit than their wire and plastic counterparts, they last much longer because they won’t warp with use, and they are more durable.

Does goodwill accept hangers?

Jul 10, 2021 · Plastic hangers are a common type of clothing accessory used to store and hang clothes. They are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which makes them recyclable.Plastic recycling is an important part of creating sustainable products and reducing waste in our landfills.

Will goodwill take hangers?

Dec 01, 2008 · But there are ways to recycle them: 1. Donate them to your local dry cleaners. I stopped by Sunshine Cleaners in Newton Plaza on my way to work and asked if they’d accept wire and plastic hangers.

Can I recycle plastic hangers?

Apr 22, 2019 · Hi, after clearing my mum’s house, I too have plastic hangers that I don’t want to put in landfill. Having tried our local Sainsbury’s who only recycle their own hangers & charity shops who have their own ….. I’d be very grateful if you could give me the address of your contact please. Thanks.

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What can I do with old plastic hangers?

You can always donate your old plastic hangers to thrift stores for them to use....Well, here you go.Donate to Charity. ... Give Them to Your Dry Cleaner. ... Take Them to Your Laundry. ... Give to Freecycle. ... Toss Them in the Trash.

Can you put plastic hangers in the recycling bin?

Despite common misconceptions, black plastic hangers are recyclable. As a matter of fact, all plastic hangers are recyclable whether they're black or green or purple; the colour makes no difference!Dec 3, 2020

Where do I put plastic hangers?

To prevent the plastic hangers in your life from going straight to a landfill, donate them to a local thrift store or Goodwill donation center. Though wooden hangers are more expensive per unit than their wire and plastic counterparts, they last much longer because they won't warp with use, and they are more durable.Apr 4, 2017

What do you do with plastic hangers you don't need?

If you don't need them you can leave hangers in the store after buying clothes. Many stores are taking hangers back. Salvation Army is always looking for hangers....4.1 Recycle (where possible)4.2 Donate.4.3 Reuse (upcycle)4.4 Take them to dry cleaners.4.5 Give to Freecycle.

Does Kohl's recycle plastic hangers?

Kohl's locations recycle all plastic, hangers, office paper, cans, glass and cardboard.Mar 24, 2010

Do Marks and Spencer take back coat hangers?

M&S currently reuses or recycles all of its coat hangers that are not taken home by customers. In the last 15 years, the company has recycled over 1 billion coat hangers, saving over 32,000 tonnes of plastic from ending up as landfill.Sep 12, 2007

How do you remove plastic hanger from clothes?

Make use of TerraCycle to recycle retail hangers. TerraCycle is a company that upcycles (making better materials from discarded items) and recycles many products—such as hangers, juice pouches, toothbrushes and more—thereby keeping them out of landfills. Find a collection station near you or sign up to be a host.

Can you recycle plastic hangers NYC?

The recycling program will include all rigid plastics but will still not include plastic bags. "If it's rigid, recycle it. If it's a plastic bag, no, that's not rigid," Bloomberg said. Other examples of rigid plastics include toys, hangers and coffee cups.Apr 24, 2013

Can you recycle plastic?

Plastic does not break down in landfills, and since it can be recycled to make many diverse products, effort should be made to recycle all plastic waste. To make best use of plastics, consumers should choose the types of plastics that lend themselves most to reuse and recycling options.

What is a hanger made of?

Usually, hangers are made of polystyrene, which has the number six as a recycling symbol. This type of plastic is very hard for recycling because Styrofoam is bulked into this category and is not widely recycled. Also, most plastic hangers don’t even have a recycling symbol and that can be a problem.

What is Terracycle recycling?

Checkup TerraCycle! As you maybe already know TerraCycle is a company that makes better material from discarded items. The company recycles products like hangers, juice pouches, toothbrushes, and many more. Their goal is to keep plastic materials out of landfills.

What is a freecycle?

If you’re not sure where to donate old hangers a Freecycle is a good option. That’s a nonprofit movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.

Can you recycle plastic hangers?

Generally speaking, plastic hangers are recyclable, despite common misconceptions. Since many domestic plastic collection facilities are unable to handle and recycle plastic hangers there is a belief that plastic hangers cannot be recycled and that is wrong. A plastic hanger can and should be recycled.

What happens when you go through your closet?

When you are going through your closet, purging that clothes you don't use and someone else could be wearing, you will probably notice you have too many hangers. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT take this as an opportunity to go shopping. You have enough clothes, Friend. That hanger may need some clothes on it, but not yours.

Can you reuse a hanger?

That hanger may need some clothes on it, but not yours. Hangers seem about one step up from plastic bags or anything in your junk drawer, but they actually can all be reused. Never throw a clothing hanger away, unless it is broken beyond repair.

How to recycle plastic hangers?

Are our plastic hangars recyclable? Plastic is a type of material that can be recycled and are 100% reusable. Recycling plastic items are critical because it helps to keep them out of landfills where they are non-biodegradable and cannot decompose in the environment for years.

Advantages of recycling plastic hangers

There are so many advantages to recycling plastic hangers. Recycling gives up a chance for the earth to be more environmentally friendly; it also offers jobs and other opportunities to people who need them.

Collect plastic hangers from your home

The first step to recycling plastic hangers is gathering them up from your home. You must be only taking ones that are still in good condition because they can get damaged and unusable during being recycled into new products.

Sort them by color, type, and size

Start with the pile of hangers by color. You are sorting these because it is easier to separate them into their piles based on what they are made of and how fragile they are.

Cut the metal hooks off of each hanger with a pair of wire cutters or heavy-duty scissors

After sorting them, you should cut the metal hooks off each hanger with a pair of wire cutters or heavy-duty scissors.

Clean plastic hangers and remove any stickers or labels

For recycling plastic hangers, it’s best to start with clean hangers. Remove any price stickers or sizing labels, and use a dishwasher on the heat cycle if possible (watch out for metal arm hardware), or wash them in warm water using mild detergent are grease-cutting cleaner like Dawn Dishwashing Liquid.

Place the clean hangers in a designated recycling bag or box

You should place the clean hangers in a designated recycling bag or box. You are not allowed to place the hangers into your trash can, as they are recyclable and should be recycled instead of thrown away with other non-recyclable items.

My research

I have found the best way to not end up with loads of hangers is to not take them from the shops. Most shops have in-house reuse and recycling schemes. However these are not available to consumers.

Why they are so challenging to recycle

Mainly because most are a mix of plastic and metal. Any item that is a mix of materials causes issues in council recycling streams. Some hangers are made of such poor quality plastic that they are just not worth the cost of recycling.

Hope for the future

I have been speaking to a company that makes, and recycles, hangers. These are for some of the biggest clothing shops in the UK.

UPDATE – June 2019

The mainstream media seem to be getting interested in this issue, always a start to generate change. Check out this article.

UPDATE – January 2020

If you work for a company based within the City of London there is a hanger recycling service provided to business by First Mile. Ask your company if they can organise a box for staff to bring in their unwanted, or broken, hangers for recycling.

UPDATE COVID May 2020

The hanger recycling company I had a contact at has had to shut for the lockdown. They are not sure when they will reopen at the moment. Of course all the clothes shops are still closed and this affects them greatly.

Update June 2021

I was contacted by a London-based company called Sustainable Ventures, which has a track-record of developing and supporting high growth start-ups centred on sustainable innovation.

Donate or Give Away

Hang clothing on unwanted hangers when donating to thrift stores. Many will accept the hangers this way, though some will accept them individually as well. You can also give hangers away on Craigslist or Freecycle.

The Health Hazards of Plastic Hangers

Since plastic hangers tend to be made of different and mixed plastics, including plastic #6 and plastic #7, they are difficult to recycle. Plastic hangers typically wind up in landfills, where they leach toxic chemicals such as benzene and BPA into the environment.

The Most Eco-Friendly Hanger

Which clothes hanger is the most eco-friendly? No hanger is easy to recycle, because most are made of multiple types of materials. However, wood hangers tend to last the longest, which makes them an ideal investment. Wire hangers tend to lose their shape, and plastic hangers often break.

Can you recycle hangers?

For this reason, you likely won’t be able to throw them in your recycling bin as part of your curbside program—but this doesn’t mean you have ...

Is dry cleaning clothes a waste?

With all the plastic film and toxic chemicals, dry cleaning clothes can be a wasteful process. You’ll likely end up with a surplus of wire hangers that meet the trash after a day’s use, too.

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