Christmas is only one week away, and even if you don’t celebrate the religious significance of the holiday, you can always celebrate the season of giving. Christmas brings out something inside of us that wants to give, not only to our friends and family, but people struggling in our community. I ran across an article about a woman from New Jersey who helped the Hyatt hotel in downtown Morristown, New Jersey recycle their used linens to give out to the homeless.
Mary Marzano, owner of Green Recoverings in Maplewood, New Jersey, delivers gently used linens from major hotels such as the Hyatt in Morristown, to the Salvation Army in Newark for re-use by the homeless and less fortunate. Not only is this is such a great charity and ministry to the homeless, it’s also an extremely green and eco-friendly service. Millions of pounds of linens are tossed in the trash, and ultimately the landfill, each year by hotels and consumers. Yes, they are used linens, but they’ve all been washed and sanitized, so it’s perfect for someone who doesn’t have the money to afford linens or someone who has no home at all. Here’s a quote from Mrs. Marzano:
"Bedding is expensive -- we take it for granted," Marzano said, noting hotels discard many tons of linens per year. "They just push them right in the Dumpster. I couldn't let that happen."
Because of such high standards of quality put forth by luxury hotel brands such as the Hyatt, The Plaza, and Hilton, they throw away linens all the time due to discoloration.
"There might end up being a discoloration, so it's not a clean white pillow case. We can't use that in a guest room," said Tom Blundell, general manager of the Hyatt Morristown. "It's still a good pillowcase. ... but eventually, it all lands up in the trash."
We thought this would be a great story to share around the holidays, because it fulfills two huge needs: The need to give back to others, and the need to recycle and re-use goods that are a treasure to someone else. This holiday season, think twice before throwing something away. You never know who might want what you consider to be junk.
