As many of my friends from the city will share, finding good volunteering opportunities is surprisingly hard. It is difficult to scout meaningful ways to serve that align with our values, and schedule. Recently, however, a friend introduced me to FABSCRAP, an non-profit dedicated to ending fabric waste. You can imagine how excited I was, as a textile scientist (read my journey here), to hear of this organization. Textile recycling in NYC is one important way to divert landfill waste. If you are passionate about sustainable fashion, then volunteering with FABSCRAP may be the excellent opportunity for you.
VOLUNTEERING LOGISTICS: HOW TO GET THERE & WHAT TO EXPECT
If it is your first time volunteering with FABSCRAP, here is everything you need to know. First, the location is at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, which is a hub for several start-ups and small businesses. The location is accessible by ferry and subway. If you are taking the subway, it will be around a 15-min walk from the 59th St stop (take the N/R).
Each volunteering session is around 3-hours long. Wear comfortable shoes, as you will be standing for most of it. Bring water, and pack an extra mask. Luckily, in a pandemic, most of us are already wearing one. However, there is a lot of textile lint from the bags of fabric we sort through. I suggest wearing one for the volunteering session that you dispose of, or wash separately after. And finally, bring a reusable bag with you. You will have the chance to shop for free fabric at the end of the session.
HOW DOES FABSCRAP WORK?
Once I arrived, the part that astounded me the most were the many racks of garments, rolls of fabrics, and bags of scraps in the warehouse. Where do all of these fabrics come from?
FABRSCRAP accepts commercial textiles from various brand partners around NYC. As volunteers, we sort these fabrics into their correct categories. Afterwards, they are transported to recycling centers, or the landfill (sadly), and for non-proprietary materials, some are sold in their warehouse ‘shop.’ If you are a designer or artist, you can schedule an appointment to shop the scraps.
As volunteers, we also receive 5 pounds of free fabric at the end of the session, as well as a 30% off discount on any additional materials.
WHAT DO YOU DO AS A VOLUNTEER?
Each table is stationed with bags of fabrics from an anonymous brand partner. This part is really important because the brands need a way to trace how much waste they’ve recycled, so anything we sort is weighed at the end of the session. For me, a lot of the materials I handled were actually fabric headers, and small swatches.
Fabric headers are small swatches that textile vendors, or mills would share with brands so that they can decide which materials to use for the season. The benefit is, these samples are normally labeled with their content. As such, you should be able to easily categorize them into their proper categories.
MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM VOLUNTEERING
Textile recycling in NYC feels like an overlooked effort, especially with so much attention given to paper and plastics. However, given that my city is such a huge fashion hub, it only makes sense that we begin repurposing textiles that would otherwise go to waste. I left feeling inspired by our efforts, and below were my biggest takeaways.
Volunteering with FABSCRAP gives perspective on how much fashion waste is out there.
Upon entering the warehouse, you will notice large amounts of black trash bags stacked in the back. All of that is donated commercial fabric scraps. Just imagine how much more it would be if you considered our individual textile waste too.
Fabrics have so many functions.
Prior to volunteering, I thought receiving 5 pounds of free fabric did not sound too helpful for someone who can’t sew (i.e. me). However, once I got to see some of the materials upfront, I was filled with a ton of creative, no-sew ideas (e.g. cake strips, dishcloths, trims for sleeves, produce bags). I volunteered with a friend, and was able to share some of my allowance with her too.
A lot of fabrics can’t be recycled.
While FABSCRAP is doing important work in textile recycling, the fashion industry’s efforts can’t stop there. For example, there is limited infrastructure in place to recycle spandex and blended fabrics. As important as it is for us to recycle materials where we can, many are still destined for the landfill. It is important to hold brands accountable to source fabrics responsibly too.
Mending matters.
A lot of brands destroy samples to preserve exclusivity, and protect brand identity. At FABSCRAP, you will notice racks of ‘mendables’. These are semi-destructed garments that could be mended back into another piece of clothing. While I would never think to make use out of a cut garment, I ended up finding a pair of ankle-length jeans similar to the ones I wore to volunteering. Lucky for me, this pair could be worn with minimal alterations required.
TEXTILE RECYCLING IN NYC: WHY YOU SHOULD VOLUNTEER
Let’s be honest. NYC is filled with busy people. And if I were to recommend a volunteering experience to you, I want it to be worthwhile. I love that FABSCRAP has so many available sessions, and they are easy to register for. But more importantly, I think the experience will offer good perspective into why textile recycling in NYC (and beyond) is important. Not only do I live in a fashion capital. But something about feeling the fabrics upfront, and understanding the sheer amounts of waste we generate can have a huge impact. Not to mention, I believe simple acts such as volunteering do help shape our personal habits too.
One thing is for sure: I am more willing to think of ways to reuse fabrics around the house now 🙂
