Pocono News Section

Recycling Event Helps Earth, Third World Countries

Recycling Event Helps Earth, Third World Countries - Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 04:06AM EST

Reported by: Mark Hiller
Thursday April 22 2010
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - If it's made of fabric, you can unload it at the Friends of the Poor Fabric Recycling Drive.

Bags and bags of discarded clothing and other materials made of fabric got tossed into a trailer parked Thursday morningoutside Our Lady of Peace Residence next to Marywood University instead of a landfill. "With Earth Day, it was the perfect time to do it. And the change of seasons, people are cleaning out their closets looking for more space," said Friends of the Poor Director Sr. Maryalice Jacquinot, IHM.

"It's like take out the old and making room for the new," said Friends of the Poor volunteer Warren Gross who helped Sr. Maryalice unload a pickup truck full of discarded fabric items Thursday morning.

People like Sr. Maria Rose Kelly, IHM of Carbondale brought a few bags of unwanted materials to recycle after clearing out all those familiar spots that gather so much clutter. "Closets. Closets, closets, closets, closets. Piles of junk everywhere," Sr. Maria laughed.

It's junk that can be recycled and reused in developing countries. Friends of the Poor is selling all this unwanted stuff for 10-cents a pound to a local recycling company. The proceeds will support some of the many local community projects under the direction of Friends of the Poor.

"I think we all do accumulate too much and sometimes in giving that away, you know, we feel good. We feel lighter in so many ways," said Sr. Maryalice. "And then also it helps other people, it helps Friends of the Poor and it's good for the earth. Because if we were to throw this away, you know where it's going to end up and it's going to sit there for many, many years."

Instead, it's headed to Recycling For Pennsylvania, Inc. on Rosanna Avenue in Scranton's Green Ridge section. The business is paying Friends of the Poor ten-cents a pound for the discarded fabric.

45,000 pounds of fabric at a time will leave the facility's warehouse. Each bailed pile of fabric weighs about 1,000 pounds -- all of it headed to third world countries.

It's clothing and a whole lot more that will be delivered to parts of the world that need so much. "People are actually going to wear (the clothing) and use the sheets," said Jesse Hinkley who owns Recycling For Pennsylvania, Inc. "They're going to use the drapes, the curtains. Everything that goes over there they're going to use."

And it will help farther -- and far more -- than you might ever think. The Friends of the Poor Fabric Recycling Event is happening in the parking lot of Our Lady of Peace Residence next to Marywood University at 2300 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Recycling days are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p. m.

You can donate everything from old clothing, shoes, boots, outerwear, sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, backpacks, purses, belts, socks, hats, gloves, area rugs and even stuffed toy animals. It doesn't matter if the itemsare stained or tattered.