FAQs about Mannequin Recycling

Is mannequin recycling necessary?

“The apparel industry is the second-largest polluter in the world, second only to the oil industry,” said retailer Eileen Fisher in this article. While most of the pollution is generated in the pre-production stage of producing clothing, there is a significant amount of environmental waste generated at the store level.

This video  by Circa News illustrates what happens to the inventory and store fixtures when a retail store closes. It is not pretty.

Is it expensive to recycle mannequins?

We recycle mannequins FREE of charge. This includes dress forms, mannequin torsos, legs, heads,and jewelry forms. Customers bring or ship their unwanted mannequins to our facility or to one of our affiliates. We eliminate the cost that retailers would pay on waste disposal fees for the large dumpsters needed to dispose of mannequins.

In what cities is mannequin recycling available? Mannequin Madness is located in the SF Bay Area. However, we have affiliates in most major cities in the U.S. and Canada who assist us in recycling mannequins in other locations.

One phone call allows us to faciitate mannequin recycling on a national level.

Why do stores throw away their mannequins?

Mannequin styles change just like clothing styles. A mannequin in good condition can end up in the dumpster simply because it is out of style. The average lifespan of a mannequin in a retail chain is about 7 years. Mannequins are also thrown away because:
- a retailer is closing underperforming locations
- the retailer went bankrupt
- the mannequin gets damaged by a customer or employee and it is not worth repairing
- a new management team wants to change the visual displays that a previous team installed.

What do you do with the used mannequins? 

We extend their life cycle by reselling them. We believe in the circular economy which is “finding a new use for an old thing in its existing form.”

We resell the used mannequins at a deeply discounted price from their original cost, thus allowing artists, small retailers, and museums to stretch their visual merchandising budgets.

So, mannequins are not really recyclable? There are companies that recycle mannequins by stripping them of all the fittings and materials that can be processed. The mannequins are then put in a grinder. (This only works for mannequins, not dress forms.)

This process, which is NOT cheap, requires mass transportation to the plants, where they are granulated and used for fuel and in cement. We question the environmental impact of burning materials that are ground up and put into cement due to their toxic fumes created when incinerated.

Do you ever have mannequins that you can’t use?

We have a zero waste policy for the mannequins we recycle. If mannequins are damaged or have missing parts, they are resold for Halloween Projects, Burning Man displays, or other DIY projects.

You can see lots of creative ways people upcycle mannequins on our Facebook group: Crafty Projects with Mannequins.