Each hanger that doesn’t go in the landfill means you are aligning your brand with eco-conscious shoppers. Customers appreciate transparency and responsibility, and showing your commitment to recycling practices strengthens your values and commitment to circular economy fashion.
In this article, we’ll give you creative ideas on how you can repurpose old hangers and therefore support sustainable retail waste management.
Why Recycling Hangers Can Be Tricky
A regular hanger is made up of different materials. Typically, the hook is made of metal, while the bar and/or shoulders can also be made of metal, plastic, wood, or acrylic.
This can quickly become a nightmare for regular recycling centers. More often than not, their machinery is not able to separate the parts efficiently. As a result, hangers get thrown out rather than recycled.
This means many hangers, with studies citing up to 123 million, eventually end up in landfills every year. This amount contributes to the accumulation of solid waste and places additional strain on the environment.
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How to Recycle Old Hangers
Recycling old hangers isn’t always straightforward, but knowing the right options can help keep them out of landfills and give them a second life.
- Launch a Hanger Take-Back Program
Shops can set up a collection bin inside their stores meant to encourage customers to bring back their hangers for reuse or recycling in exchange for perks. This way, you give shoppers a more active role in your sustainability efforts.
- Partner With Specialized Recycling Centers for Plastic Hanger Recycling
Plastic hangers are often made from a combination of polystyrene, polypropylene, and other materials. Most curbside recycling programs don’t accept them since they’re harder to sort and process.
If the hangers your store uses are primarily made of plastic, consider forming partnerships with specific recycling centers (such as RecycleNation or Earth911) that can manage bulk collection and management of waste hangers in their facility.
- Explore Industrial Recycling Partnerships
Alternatively, you can partner with large-scale recycling companies that can break down old hangers into raw components such as plastic, metal, or wood. These materials can then be fed back to manufacturing and used to create new products or features.
- Repurpose Hangers as Artworks
Instead of throwing out old hangers, retailers can look into giving them a new life as creative display elements in their stores. Install abstract wall art, sculptural window installations, or fixtures in fitting rooms made entirely from rearranged or broken-down hanger parts.
Customers will appreciate seeing “waste” transformed into something creative, visually striking, and memorable.
- Collaborate with Artists and Designers
You can also explore commissioning artists to use the hangers in creating larger in-store installations or branded art pieces. Partner with designers so that custom hangers can be used in furniture or fashion projects. This can create buzz in the community while highlighting your store’s sustainability efforts.
- Donate Surplus Stock to Charities and Shelters
Institutions that accept clothes donations often need functional hangers for their operations. Consider donating any surplus stock you might have to these facilities. This effort creates goodwill and shows your support to local communities in a very meaningful way.
- Promote a Culture of Reuse
A little creativity can go a long way in repurposing old hangers for use in the office or backrooms. For example, you can use clip hangers as clipboards or document holders, while broken metal hangers can be adapted into storage hooks.
These are low-cost solutions to keep hanger parts in circulation, even if they’re no longer used to hang clothing.
- Resell
Consider reselling surplus hangers in good condition to smaller retailers, thrift shops, local dry cleaners, or online marketplaces. This practice extends their use in the market, and is a good way to recover costs.
- Form Partnerships with Schools or Universities
Some courses in schools, such as art, fashion, or engineering, may require unusual materials for projects.
Consider forming ties with these schools to provide them with a steady supply of hangers made from plastic, wood, or metal. This gives old hangers new life outside of clothes stores.
- Create Staff Engagement Projects
Try running regular competitions where store staff repurpose hangers into other useful items that can be used in the office or even sold in the shops. Offer incentives to encourage active participation.
FAQs
Why recycle hangers rather than send them to landfills?
Landfilled hangers take decades or even centuries to fully degrade. Recycling keeps them off landfills and repurposes their materials, which helps retailers cut down on waste without harming the environment.
Are all types of hangers recyclable?
It depends on their material. Metal hangers may be processed easily since many scrap metal facilities accept them. Wood hangers are also ideal. Those made from mixed plastic materials, however, may not be recycled as easily.
Can broken hangers be recycled?
Yes. They can be repurposed as part of in-store decorations or office supplies. Also, specialized recycling facilities may still be able to process them into new raw materials.
A Commitment to Sustainability
With some creativity and active partnership with certain facilities and institutions, recycling hangers become less of a challenge to stores and retailers, and more of an opportunity to show your company’s deep commitment to sustainability.
We at QUNXING are passionate about lowering environmental impact through efforts geared towards waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable innovation. From hanger reuse initiatives to a mannequin recycling program, our solutions help retailers embrace circular economy practices.
Contact us today and explore our full catalog of hangers and mannequins!
