Like most, we have a mound of test print t-shirts. I once heard an old boss talk about a service that took t-shirts to be recycled. Anyone hear of this and/or have a contact? I'm based in Atlanta and would definitely prefer to see my cotton mound of joy be recycled vs. going to the dump.
I haven't heard of any company that does actual "recycling" of clothing (as in breaking down the clothing and making it into a new raw fiber that can be used again, like they do with soda bottles to make polyester), but I know that there are companies that sell 2nd-hand clothing to 3rd world countries. Like this one: gciatl.com
Here is a idea for you,
Poeple are now making grocery bags out of t-shirts,
yep, t-shirts
they cut the bottom,
sew it
then cut the neckout,
cut the sleeves off so it looks like a tank top
and leave the edges, raw, and use these for book bags,
grocery bags,, ect, it is called upcylcing.
I am seeing alot of poeple selling these for $3.00 to $6.00.
Not a bad idea,,
Sandy Jo
By the time my waste shirts have been used for test prints, then to clean knives, screens, and squeegies, I run them through the dryer to cure the ink and toss 'em. There's not enough open fabric to recycle into anything.
ECO CIRCLE website | English
This is where we are trying to send our used poly shirts but I don't know much about them except that Patagonia uses them. You have to pay for shipping of the goods to them (in Japan??) so it may be a pricey proposition.....
Non-profits like Goodwill and the Salvation Army play a crucial role in keeping old clothes out of the waste stream. When they get donations of clothes that are too threadbare to re-sell in one of their shops, they send them to “rag sorters” that specialize in recycling pieces of fabric large and small. Says Hawley, these textile recyclers sell about half the clothing they get back overseas in developing countries, while unusable garments, especially cotton t-shirts, are turned into wiping and polishing cloths used by a variety of industries and sold to consumers.
I know The Purple Heart, the veterans charity, accepts clothing and sells it to sorters too.
I do this thing for more creative tshirts, and i buy old tshirts at goodwill and cut out squares to print on. then and stitch them onto the fabric it gives kind of a cool effect.
T-Shirt Recycling? 
