Tim Johnson, attendant at Goodwill Fort Worth's White Settlement store, waits for the next car-load of donations. Together, the Fort Worth and Dallas Goodwill operations divert about 76 million pounds of material from local landfills annually. Photo courtesy of Goodwill Fort Worth.

Dec. 14, 2020

That time you picked up a righteously faded Ramones T-shirt at the Goodwill store? You thought you were just being cool. Maybe you didn’t realize that you were also participating in a colossal international effort that in 2019 upcycled 4.6 billion pounds of donated used goods. Maybe you’re even cooler than you thought.

Goodwill Industries International is a recycling juggernaut. Here in North Texas, the weight of all that revived merchandise is expressed in mere tens of millions of pounds. 

“Over the past decade, our recycling initiatives have evolved into an approach that in 2019 diverted nearly 53 million pounds of waste from landfills through sales and recycling,” said David Cox, president and CEO of Goodwill Fort Worth, which he says is on track to meet its goal of becoming a zero-waste facility. 

Together, through sales and recycling, Goodwill Fort Worth and Goodwill Dallas divert around 76 million pounds of material annually from North Texas landfills. That’s the equivalent weight of a dozen giant Saturn V moon rockets - about 38,000 tons. 

Together, through sales and recycling, Goodwill Fort Worth and Goodwill Dallas divert around 76 million pounds of material annually from North Texas landfills. That’s the equivalent weight of a dozen giant Saturn V moon rockets - about 38,000 tons. 

And Goodwill’s efforts transcend environmental stewardship. 

“When you donate to Goodwill, all gently used household items undergo a strenuous multi-step process to ensure as little as possible is sent to the landfill, while creating jobs for individuals with disabilities and disadvantaging conditions in our local community,” said Tim Heis, president and CEO of Goodwill Dallas. “Employment opportunities are created by offering work through the reselling of material donations.” 

In 2019, local Goodwill organizations were involved in one out of every 275 hires in the United States.

Less than 20 percent of the material donated to North Texas Goodwill operations ever reaches a landfill. That helps to defer the $300,000- to $800,000-per-acre cost that taxpayers must cough up to build a new one, not including operating expenses. 

Less than 20 percent of the material donated to North Texas Goodwill operations ever reaches a landfill.

Merchandise that fails to sell either in Goodwill’s retail or outlet stores, or falls short of the organization’s quality standards, is sorted by commodity and sold to certified recyclers, Cox said. 

Goodwill Fort Worth donation stationGoodwill relies upon the sales of donated items to create jobs and fund job-training programs for people with disabilities, disadvantages and other barriers to employment. Worldwide, the organization processes 4.6 billion pounds of donated goods for reuse. Photo courtesy of Goodwill Fort Worth.

“Since the vast majority of plastic is non-biodegradable, recycling it is a part of our effort to reduce plastic in the waste stream, especially the approximately 8 million tons of waste plastic that enter the Earth’s ocean every year,” he said. 

Additionally, textiles are recycled in 1,000-pound bales, with some sold to heavy industry as wiping rags. Others are shredded and used as insulation, or as stuffing for couches or pet toys. Items that Goodwill recycles also include glass, cardboard, metals, aluminum, kitchen metals, hard toys, soft toys and even wire.

Additionally, textiles are recycled in 1,000-pound bales, with some sold to heavy industry as wiping rags. Others are shredded and used as insulation, or as stuffing for couches or pet toys. Items that Goodwill recycles also include glass, cardboard, metals, aluminum, kitchen metals, hard toys, soft toys and even wire.

Both local Goodwill organizations accept e-waste, donated computers and peripherals, as well. 

“We offer our donors a convenient, eco-friendly way to dispose of outdated or damaged equipment. Hard drives are safely decommissioned or destroyed in accordance with the Department of Defense standards,” Cox said. 

And books that might otherwise be headed to the landfill are put back into circulation through online sales, or recycled into other paper products.

He emphasized that Goodwill strives to be “good stewards of all that we’re given to ensure the best future for our students, our clients, our community, our organization and, of course, our planet. We are proud to be a leader in sustainability and one of the largest recyclers in North Texas.”

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