One of the world's oldest textile recyclers has expanded operations to New Hampshire, after outgrowing its facility in Massachusetts. E. Butterworth & Co., founded in 1839 and headquartered in Dracut, Mass., recycles 20 million lbs. of textile waste each year, while processing some pieces into cleaning cloths.
"About two years ago, we had run out of room in Massachusetts," said EBCO President Bob Travis, who, with his son and son-in-law, is an owner. "We're all residents of New Hampshire, we like living in New Hampshire and we like the business climate here."
Working with Cynthia Harrington, business recruiter with the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, the company moved into a building in the Sagamore Industrial Park in Hudson last spring and, Travis said, "We need twice as much space already."
The company recycles textiles and reclaims textile waste from manufacturers around the country, keeping it out of landfills. That is especially important, says co-owner Jeff Pearl, because "it is one of the most pesticide dependent crops in the world and repurposing every piece definitely helps the environment." Larger pieces of material are turned into cleaning cloths for janitorial and industrial uses, as well as in manufacturing.
"You can go into almost any hardware store in New Hampshire and see our products on the shelf," Travis said. In addition to packaging the wiping cloths at the new location, "We are set up in Hudson to transform 1,000 lbs. bales into people-friendly five and 10 lbs. packages for consumer and industry," he said.
Clippings made from 100 percent cotton are set aside for another purpose. "We sell it to a pulp mill in Ohio and they turn it in to a nice, white cotton pulp that's turned into U.S. currency," he said.
For more information about EBCO, visit www.TheAbsorbentCompany.com.
Current Issue - April 2024