Recycle Your Tattered Blue Jeans
Many of us keep our blue denim until it is worn out with holes in the knees that are beyond repair and likely are destined for the trash. Fortunately, during the winter months of January and February, Teton Valley Community Recycling (TVCR) partners with Habitat of Jackson Hole to collect used blue denim no longer suitable for wearing or resale at the Thrift Store. Through the “Blue Jeans Go Green” program, your old blue denim will be upcycled into Ultratouch Denim House Insulation, some of which will be used in local affordable homes.
The TVCR Denim Drive will take place from January 1 through February 16. Please bring your clean blue denim to a collection point at the Geotourism Center in Driggs (open 24 hours) or at the General Laundry Company in Victor (open 7am-10pm). This is an annual recycling program that we offer every winter, so if you miss it this year, please save your blue jeans for next winter. For more information about the recycling process, check out bluejeansgogreen.org. You can also turn your old cotton clothes into household rags, or compost them when they are really worn out.
Valley resident, Simone Hunter, who installed Denim Insulation in her home over 13 years ago, says the product is absolutely wonderful. She chose it because it is non-toxic and reuses a waste product that otherwise might have ended up in a landfill. So, please, recycle your old denim! It can last for decades more as home insulation.
While you are dropping off old denim, take advantage of these same locations which are also TerraCycle collection sites to drop off your dental waste (old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers), cereal bags, contact lens & blister packs, deodorant or mouthwash containers, and any sort of foil bar wrapper. Thank you for recycling!!
If you have any questions or comments about recycling in Teton Valley, don’t hesitate to contact Iris Saxer at 206-484-7354 or email tetonrecycling@gmail.com
