December 6, 2011 - Institute Launches Free 2012 Hanger Recycling Program
Goal to Reuse 10 Million Hangers, 300 Tons of Steel
2012 will see ten million fewer hangers making their way to American landfills thanks to cleaners participating in the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute's "DLI Cleaners Care Hanger Recycling Program." The new program spans the United States and asks DLI members to recycle hangers to prevent waste and save money.
"This program is designed to help the environment, customers, and cleaners," said DLI CEO Mary Scalco. "2012 is our first year with this program and we're shooting for 10 million fewer hangers in landfills. That's 300 tons of steel. We want to see that number grow as awareness of the program spreads."
"We know that many drycleaners already recycle hangers. It just makes good sense to do so," said Jon Meijer, DLI Membership Director. "Now we're asking cleaners to track the number of hangers they reuse or recycle and report it as part of this program. By working together and tracking our results we can monitor the program's contribution to a greener planet."
Cleaners participating in the program will pledge to reuse hangers whenever possible and recycle unusable hangers with local steel scrapyards. Participants will be asked to track the hangers by estimated count and the scrap by weight. Cleaners will report their recycling numbers to DLI for inclusion in the program's grand total, which will be reported to national media. DLI will provide local-level publicity support and in-store materials cleaners can use to raise awareness of the program.
There is no cost to participating cleaners, in fact cleaners who do not recycle now stand to save on the order of $1,300 in one year by reducing consumables. Participating cleaners will also benefit from publicity derived as a result of the program.
