Staring this week, Spokane outdoor retailer Mountain Gear will start accepting used items -- footwear, jackets, pants, shirts, socks, tents, harnesses, backpacks and other cloth-based items -- and will donate them to a textile recycling facility. Items do not have to be outdoor equipment only.

The intent of the program is to extend the life of usable outdoor items and materials. A company release said usable products will be reused through secondhand markets; unusable items will be recycled into new materials and fibers.  The north Spokane shop, at 2002 N. Division, will also direct customers with items needing repair to to local repair services.

About 10 percent of all textiles are reused or recycled, and Mountain Gear President Paul Fish said his company would like to raise that rate in the Spokane area.

Fish emphasized this program is meant to supplement existing recycling efforts and donations by collecting items that have reached the end of their useful life.

 

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