National Clothesline

Keeping 10 million wire hangers out of landfills in 2012 may have seemed like a lofty goal a year ago when the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute announced a nationwide hanger recycling program, but that goal was quickly reached and another, even higher target was set. Well before the year’s end, that goal, too, was exceeded.

With the year winding down, DLI reported that participating members had recycled or reused 25,549,406 hangers during the year, representing more than 750 tons of steel kept out of the nation’s landfills.

While cleaners have been recycling or reusing hangers for years, the DLI program was the first attempt to quantify those efforts and to publicize them through the media. Media recognition of the industry effort was widespread as a quick Google search indicates, in newspapers and magazines and blogs.

Cleaners who signed up for the program received material from DLI to assist with publicity including poster, hanger tags and display material in digital format along with a sample press release to provide local media.

Participating cleaners agreed to reuse hangers whenever possible and recycle unusable hangers with local steel scrapyards and to track the hangers by estimated count and the scrap by weight. Those numbers were reported to DLI which compiled the national total. Several DLI member cleaners from outside the U.S. also joined the program.

The original goal of 10 million hangers for the year was reached in April. In response, DLI moved the goal post ahead to 25 million. That was achieved in mid-November.

All of the participating cleaners were listed on the program’s “Cleaners Care” web page, With just over 300 cleaners in the program, the 25 million tally seemingly represents just a fraction of all the hangers that cleaners helped keep out of landfills during the year.



								National Clothesline


						DLI cleaners saved 25 million hangers from landfills in 2012




						Keeping 10 million wire hangers out of landfills in 2012 may have seemed like a lofty goal a year ago when the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute announced a nationwide hanger recycling program, but that goal was quickly reached and another, even higher target was set. Well before the year’s end, that goal, too, was exceeded. With the year winding down, DLI reported that participating members had recycled or reused 25,549,406 hangers during the year, representing more than 750 tons of steel kept out of the nation’s landfills. While cleaners have been recycling or reusing hangers for years, the DLI program was the first attempt to quantify those efforts and to publicize them through the media. Media recognition of the industry effort was widespread as a quick Google search indicates, in newspapers and magazines and blogs. Cleaners who signed up for the program received material from DLI to assist with publicity including poster, hanger tags and display material in digital format along with a sample press release to provide local media. Participating cleaners agreed to reuse hangers whenever possible and recycle unusable hangers with local steel scrapyards and to track the hangers by estimated count and the scrap by weight. Those numbers were reported to DLI which compiled the national total. Several DLI member cleaners from outside the U.S. also joined the program. The original goal of 10 million hangers for the year was reached in April. In response, DLI moved the goal post ahead to 25 million. That was achieved in mid-November. All of the participating cleaners were listed on the program’s “Cleaners Care” web page, With just over 300 cleaners in the program, the 25 million tally seemingly represents just a fraction of all the hangers that cleaners helped keep out of landfills during the year.