Sharon Silberman testifies on textile waste diversion and the Refashion/Helpsy program
Sharon Silberman, Manhattan SWAB Textile Waste Committee Chair and fashion industry veteran, testifies on Intro 256, noting 10,500 qualifying buildings lack bins, urging expansion of the Helpsy contract as a pilot, and arguing concerns about flooding the textile market are misguided since the alternative is burying and burning waste.
Sharon?
You may begin.
Sharon Stone?
Yes, Sharon Stone.
How did you get here?
Yes.
I promise not to sing.
Well, I'll change that now.
No, no, no, no.
You may begin.
Your two minutes start again.
Your two minutes start again.
You're good.
All right.
Hello, and thank you for this opportunity.
I'm Sharon Silberman, the Textile Waste Committee Chair of the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board, submitting testimony on behalf of myself and my textile waste diversion, mending, and legislative compliance consultancy.
Professionally, I'm a 40-year veteran of the United States fashion industry, having designed and produced for well-known American brands.
I'm the daughter of a fashion buyer for major department stores in my native Baltimore, so I grew up in this industry and now make my...
My living from trying to save the industry from itself.
Edger 256 asks that a feasibility study be done to assess the factors surrounding a mandate banning textiles from the trash in New York City to become a source-separated
recyclable waste stream requiring curbside textile waste collection by DSNY.
For there is already a no-cost program in place, the refashion program currently contracted with HelpSee.
They are currently servicing 1,500 bin-qualifying buildings.
But there are an additional 10,500 buildings in New York City that also qualify.
Since HELPSI is fiscally responsible to purchase bins, outside financing becomes prohibitively slow.
An expansion of this contract could effectively act as a pilot to test Intro 256's feasibility study and collect updated data since DSNY's very limited previous textile collection pilot
in 2015.
But doing so would require the purchase of additional collection vehicles to cover all of New York City.
I will add the concerns over the potential of a textile collection mandate flooding the market seems misguided since the alternative would be what?
Continuing to bury and burn New York City's textile waste?
From a valorization standpoint, the refashion contract is a five-year, no-cost-to-the-city agreement where even the collection bins bought, installed, and maintained by HelpZ
revert ownership to DSNY upon termination of the contract.
The refashion program has already saved New York City several million dollars in collection, transportation, and tipping or incineration fees.
Thank you.
Your time expired.
However, we will be taking the rest of your written testimony into the record.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Sharon.