This initiative allows the management of the entire cycle of used clothing, both formal wear and household items, and facilitates access to the labor market for people at risk of social exclusion through Moda Re-, the non-profit social cooperative promoted by the organization.
Residents of Mequinenza now have access to two containers for donating unwanted clothing and footwear, thanks to an agreement between the Mequinenza Town Hall and Cáritas. This initiative allows for the complete management of used clothing: collection, preparation for reuse, recycling, donation, and sale. It also promotes efforts to combat social exclusion and facilitate the social and professional integration of people at risk of or experiencing social exclusion, specifically through environmental protection activities within the framework of the social and solidarity economy.
The containers, installed by Incluyem Barmon, a social enterprise promoted by Cáritas Diocesana Barbastro-Monzón, are located in the container area next to Plaza Joaquín Torres and opposite the Sala Goya building. Once clothing items such as shirts, t-shirts, trousers, or coats, as well as household items like sheets, blankets, curtains, or rags, and footwear such as shoes, sneakers, or boots are deposited inside, they are collected weekly and taken to integrated treatment plants where they are sorted into three categories based on reuse, recycling, or disposal criteria.
Thus, clothing in good condition, representing approximately 57% of the items placed in the containers (corresponding to the reusable fraction), is processed and then sent to second-hand shops or distributed to vulnerable individuals. As for the non-reusable fraction, the damaged clothing, 36% is recycled for fibers or materials, used in the manufacture of down, insulation, or carpeting, and for the reuse of buttons and zippers. The remaining 7%, the severely damaged clothing that is rejected, is used for energy recovery and/or recycling, or is treated as unsuitable waste processed by authorized waste management companies.
A social initiative that generates employment, facilitates job creation and employment integration, and also promotes awareness of selective waste collection, facilitating reuse and recycling, thus encouraging responsible consumption.
