ATLAS of Rock County rolled out its first batch of clothing bales last week after installing the new machinery this fall.
A 20-by-30-foot detached building on the northwest corner of the existing building houses the baler that helps the organization more efficiently process donations.
ATLAS volunteers sort through hundreds of bags of donated clothing each week, sending the best items to be sold at Redeemed Remnants thrift store.
Items less saleable are donated to other organizations, and the rest are baled and distributed to destitute regions of the world.
“Clothing bales are the industry standard for clothing recycling,” said ATLAS director Michael Blank. “It’s the most efficient and cost-effective way to move clothing.”
He said his staff and volunteers used to make the weekly two-hour round trip to Rock Valley with items to be baled.
To save money and streamline operations, ATLAS purchased its own baler this spring so that donations can be processed on site.
Blank said the baler solves the problem of space (piled up donations) and transportation (gas and time).
Once clothing is baled, Minnesota Clothing Recyclers picks it up to transport to their facility in Watkins, Minnesota, to be distributed around the world. “I’ve always wondered, when you see a picture of a little boy in Africa wearing a Nike shirt … this is evidently how that happens,” Blank said.
6,000-pound machine to make 1,200-pound clothing bales
The 20-by-30 building houses the 6,000-pound clothing baler that ATLAS bought from a party for $2,500 under cost.
Like a hay baler, the clothing baler is 12 feet tall and 5 feet square and makes 3-by-4-foot bales that are 3 feet high, 1,200 pounds per bale.
About 70 garbage bags of clothing makes a bale. “You can see the amount of space we’re saving.”
The bales have value as a commodity, based on the quality of the clothing in the bales.
Some clothing that’s not usable gets shredded for use in automotive industry for filler. “The good thing is 100 percent of what gets baled is going to get used for something,” Blank said.
He encourages people to be judicious about donations, essentially requesting that donors don’t bring items they wouldn’t consider wearing themselves.
“We accept only good, used clothing,” Blank said. “Minnesota Clothing Recyclers are very specific about what they will take, so we have to be specific about what we will take.”
The better the donations, the better it is for the nonprofit Christian ministry of ATLAS … “To offer support and assistance to those struggling with life’s difficult issues,” according to its website.
Clothing donations are accepted at the Redeemed Remnants back door during business hours only.
“Please don’t leave items outside,” Blank said.