Best Ways To Recycle Old Towels

Recycling Towels

Don’t throw your old towels away, put them to re-use in the pet industry

Most of us possess a handful of different-sized towels and these may lose their colour and fluffy pile over time with constant use and washing. That’s millions of towels that are being discarded yearly where they can be put to good use in the pet industry.

The UK population is estimated at more than 68,000 million according to World Population Review and we are all likely to own at least one towel. Towels can last for some years but it is likely that at least 10% will be thrown away each year, that’s a whopping 6.8 million towels each year. Millions of towels that are being discarded yearly can be put to good use in the pet industry, being re-used before being recycled.

2021 Statistica provided pet stats indicating that we are really a pet-loving nation with more than 13 million dogs and cats respectively residing in our homes, so old towels can be an enormous help for pet owners.

Pet Check highly recommends trying advertising on social media as pet owners would be delighted to snap up your spare towels.

Why Pet Owners Like Towels

Dog owners keep a bundle at the ready for wet, muddy, dog walking days, to clean off their pets before they get back into their cars or their home after walks. They’re perfect to help pets dry their fur coats quickly and not suffer from chills in cold weather.

Sometimes owners put towels into dog beds so they dry off most of the wet and mud and then can be taken out a little later, preventing dog beds from getting even more trashed with dirt. Even professional dog walkers keep piles of towels ready in their dog walking vans for the days they get caught out in the rain, walking their charges.

Dog owners use them when they take their dogs onto beaches wiping off sand, and drying their dogs after swimming towels are perfect for drying any dog after their regular bath.

Pet rabbit owners like to put them over their outside hutches carefully trying to block out some sunshine on really hot days, providing their rabbits with shade, and making sure that their pet rabbits can’t nibble at them.

Cat owners like to have them handy for drying their cats off when diving back through their cat hatches when it rains. Hand towels are just the perfect size.

The PFMA, The Pet Food Manufacturers Association, has informed us that there are an estimated 12 million dogs residing in the UK and 12 million cats (2020 statistics). That’s a huge pet population out there where pet owners will appreciate donated items.

If you want to give away your towel(s) to a pet owner then advertising it on the free web platforms is usually a quick solution that provides you with local pick-up facilities.

Can I put towels in my landfill or recycling bins at home?

Generally, the answer is no, but each local authority has a differing recycling policy and yours may have a special collection point, especially for towels in your area. If you want to check, look up your council website.

\\\ The History Of The Towel