Green Initiative: Reusing and Recycling our Hangers

At Gallagher Uniform, sustainability isn’t only a company value, it’s how we do business. We’re always searching for ways to improve our processes, for our customers, our business and the environment. We ensure that not only our uniforms are processed in a sustainable manner, but even the hangers that hold them.

Wire hangers are used almost industry-wide in the uniform rental business. Due to their popularity and wide acceptance, some companies may view them as an expendable, cheap resource and either let customers collect unwanted hangers or throw them away- but not us. In order to protect the environment, we ask that our customers “hang on” to our hangers when they receive their clean uniforms, and then pass them back when they return their soiled garments. We then see which of the hangers are able to be used again for another route, and for the unsalvageable ones, it’s time to recycle.

How we Recycle our Hangers

The metal used to construct wire hangers is easily recycled at a scrap yard. What was once bent or broken hangers can then be transformed into an entirely new product. At the scrap yard, the wire hangers, among other metallic throwaways, are purchased by a scrap metal collector and quickly shipped off to a recycling plant. They are then shredded and melted, and their liquid form allows them to be remodeled into something new, regardless of their original form.

Benefits of Wire Hangers over Plastic or Other Material

You might be thinking, “Can’t plastic be recycled, too? What’s the big deal?” For starters, scrap metal recycling is one of the only recycling processes that produces zero waste, meaning all of the metal is able to be used and turned into something new without excess. Recycling other materials, like plastic or paper, often produces some waste in the process of obtaining the repurposed material or product. There are other potential issues that could make the originally recyclable material ineligible for recycling, such as soiled and/or damaged properties that contaminate the material. So although we commonly need to replace our lost hangers with new ones, none of the metal is wasted, and it is able to live on in another form without producing waste.

Choose Green, Choose Gallagher

There are many benefits in working with a locally owned, family operated uniform company. You deserve better service, incredible communication and a company that operates with sustainability in mind. Learn more about our green policies, and consider making the switch now. Give us a call, anytime, at 800-468-7174 or contact us online today.