Diverting textiles from landfills is Green Drinks topic July 27
Rehoboth Beach Green Drinks will meet virtually at 6 p.m., Monday, July 27, to hear a talk on diverting textiles from landfills for reuse or recycling.
To RSVP for Zoom call information, contact Joan Flaherty at 301-312-7703, or Charlie Garlow at 240-353-4962 or cgarlow@solartour.org.
Guest speaker will be Babita Jagnanan, a small business owner/operator of Phoenix Used Clothing in Newark. The company is a minority/women-owned business enterprise that diverts textiles from landfills to be reused or recycled.
Babita has been employed in the recycling industry for 19 years. As a broker, she has worked with recyclers locally and overseas, shipping containers of excess goods from charities and private institutions, making it affordable for families to purchase clothing. Babita has traveled with the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to advocate for textile recycling.
As the recycling industry’s message becomes more focused on fighting climate change, Babita takes advantage of opportunities to expand her reach, partnering with schools to implement programs, and challenging local government, private organizations and charities to consider more sustainable ways to dispose of waste. Her goal is to increase diversion of materials away from landfills while generating resources for charity to contribute to the community in which she lives and raises a family.
Babita is also the director of Forget Me Not Families, a nonprofit organization providing clothes, shoes, toys and other essential household items for families in need throughout Delaware. With the rise of the global pandemic in 2020, Forget Me Not Families, along with multiple community partners, has expanded its activities to address the increasingly urgent needs of residents suffering from food insecurities. The charity is providing daily meals and fresh produce to families challenged by economic hardships, including those who are homeless.
Babita’s long-term goal is to embed a culture of partnership and support between the recycling industry and the community it serves. There are many opportunities during this time of crisis to create hope and to educate businesses and local government on the importance of elevating textile recycling to the same urgency as plastics, cardboard, glass and metal. For more information on Phoenix Used Clothing, follow the company on Facebook.
