The Houston-based Clothing recycler American Textile Recycling Service (ATRS) the nation’s fastest growing textile recycler and a leader in clothing donation programs and services has announced the acquisition of clothing collection facility formerly owned by Retail Management Specialists of Eastern Missouri LLC, in Indianapolis which operates Red Racks and Team Thrift stores in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Utah for an undisclosed amount.

The 21,000 sq-ft Indianapolis facility operated 144 bins through Anderson, Marion, Muncie and Indianapolis areas, all collecting gently used, unwanted clothing donations on behalf of DAV Indiana.

Debra Stevenson Peganyee, chief marketing officer for ATRS said that they are excited about their next phase of growth and development into the Midwest and beyond. Their mission is to serve more communities and neighborhoods across the nation with easy convenient textile recycling solutions for all. They look forward to helping DAV expand this clothing donation partnership into an ongoing stream of monthly revenue to increase local programs and services for veterans statewide.

ATRS that started off in 2001, recycles textiles and is a leader in clothing donation programs and services, aiming to be nationwide by 2025. It provides free textile recycling solutions in 10 states and 28 metropolitan areas nationally. It operates partnerships with municipalities, property management companies like Brixmor and Simon, schools, churches and local retailers to create high traffic destination locations for families and local residents to drop off and properly dispose of gently used, out of season, unneeded clothing, shoes, toys and household textiles. It grades, sorts and redistributes textiles locally, nationally and internationally.

It represents key local post-consumer industries such as the second-hand clothing market, wiper rags, residential and commercial insulation, upholstery stuffing, thread and more.

Textile programs have cropped up, such as a voluntary program launched this spring in Tennessee’s Cumberland County.

Americans discard clothing and related iteam annually that is equivalent to 22 billion pounds of which only about 15 percent gets recycled.