Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) is set to hold their spring 2026 textile drive on May 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The drive will take place across from the iconic red steps in Duffy Square on the corner of 46th Street and Seventh Avenue. It is open to all, including workers from nearby shows and theaters and members of the public looking to recycle their unwanted textiles.
As part of the textile drive, BGA will accept used clothing, clean clothing, shoes, curtains, hats, linens, towels, handbags and belts. It will not accept rugs, carpets, comforters, pillows, household items, large luggage, fabric yardage or fabric scraps.
Theater community members who are interested in recycling unwanted textiles but unable to attend the BGA textile drive can drop off approved items at the refashionNYC textile bin, which is located in the lounge of the Actors’ Equity Association on the fourth floor of 165 West 46th Street. The bin is accessible on days when Equity auditions are taking place on-site.
Ninety-five percent of the textiles collected by BGA are reused or recycled through its partner organization Helpsy, a clothing and textile recycling corporation certified by nonprofit B Lab for its social impact. Usable clothing is resold to thrift stores or secondhand markets worldwide. Unusable donations are turned into rags, stuffing or insulation.
Broadway Green Alliance has also partnered with the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) for this drive, and will hold a concurrent Tree Giveaway — the first of its kind in Times Square. Interested participants can register to pick up a free tree via NYRP’s website, although trees may also be available for walk-up recipients on a first-come, first-served basis. BGA previously partnered with NYRP for another Tree Giveaway last April, which was held in Shubert Alley.
Broadway Green Alliance aims to educate and motivate the theater industry and its fans to embrace environmentally friendly practices. It has already diverted over 26,000 pounds of landfill-bound textiles through previous recycling efforts.
