Company to offer free clothing, electronics recycling in Allentown

The City of Allentown has partnered with a New York-based company, retrievr to offer clothing and electronics recycling at residents’ doorsteps.

In a one-year pilot program, residents will be able send a text to schedule pick up for items ranging from clothes and shoes to old smartphones and small electronics.

Most pickups will be free for the residents, but the company said it will charge a small fee to collect larger electronics items such as refrigerators or microwaves.

The city will be getting some funds for participating in the recycling program.

The city will receive 10 percent of the earnings for recycling clothing, however it is estimated at less than $2,000.  The city said the biggest financial impact will be by avoiding the landfill disposal cost of the clothing and other textiles.  The city noted that it currently pays $56.39 per ton for landfill disposal.

“Our residents get the convenience of an at-home pickup, we keep recyclable materials out of the waste stream and the city saves on disposal fees,” said Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell.

Visit retrievr’s website at www.retrievr.com to learn more about how the program works.