The Scrap Delima
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I try my best to be eco-conscious in my sewing practice. I had my year of slow sewing, a zero-waste project, and even made a whole outfit out of junk mail for an unconventional materials challenge! I also make an effort to source my fabrics secondhand or sew with eco-friendly fibers as often as possible. (Check out my regularly updated list of sustainable fabric resources!)
As much as you can try to work with the most earth-friendly materials unless you are exclusively sewing with zero-waste patterns, all sewists have that one environmentally unfriendly burden: SCRAPS! All the scrap-busting projects in the world are not enough to combat the amount of scraps generated by a busy sewist. If you live in a metropolitan area, you may be fortunate enough to have a designated textile recycling hub in your area. But what about the rest of us? Goodwill claims to recycle any unsellable textiles but do we trust them? And simply throwing scraps in the trash just hurts my heart. Enter: Retold.
About Retold
Retold allows you to purchase recycling bags with prepaid mailing labels to be filled with unwanted textiles and sent to their facilities for proper textile recycling. They take just about ANY textile waste. They sort it and send it to the appropriate place, whether that be a resell shop, donation center, or recycling center. You can be sure your old textiles are going to the appropriate place and not to a landfill. You can purchase one-off bags or do a quarterly or annual subscription. Subscribers save on bag costs as well as receive perks from Retold’s participating partners. Each bag is about the size of a small pillowcase.
Even better, Retold now offers scrap-specific bags meant for textile waste that cannot be reused or resold. An excellent solution for busy sewists!
But Why Pay for Recycling?
Yes, it can be frustrating that services like this are not free. However, if you’re like me and you can’t vibe with tossing straps into the trash, and you don’t have an appropriate local option, Retold is a very viable solution. The best bang for your buck is the Annual scrap bag subscription. Pay $94 once a year, and receive 3 prepaid label recycling bags every 3 months. That’s only $8/month to make sure your sewing waste is appropriately being taken care of! If it’s within the budget, Retold offers peace of mind for sustainably-minded sewists.
And now for the best part
Great news! If you are interested in trying out Retold but need a little more of a push… I have a discount code for you! Simply use code AMY10 at checkout to receive 10% off your first order!
Not ready yet?
If you aren’t quite ready to invest in a recycling practice for your home studio, I totally get it! I’m currently planning on putting together a master round-up (similar to my sustainable fabric list) of zero-waste pattern designers and garment sewing patterns designed for using up scraps!
In the meantime, check out my sweet friend Beth from Sew DIY’s amazing improvisational quilting e-course written specifically to help garment sewists use up their scraps. You can also check out my Sew with Scraps Pinterest board for some scrappy sewing inspiration!
I wish you the best of luck on your scrap-eliminating journey!
Maureen says
Hi Amy,
I am not getting your affiliate links to work. Is it me or a universal problem?
Thanks,
Maureen
admin says
Hi Maureen! It seems to be a universal problem. The code should still work if you go to the retold site. Or you can use this link: https://www.retoldrecycling.com/discount/AMY10
admin says
The affiliate link should be working now!