85% of Clothes End Up in Landfills (And How He Profits From It) | Dr. John P. Hayes - With Nick Boariu

**Nick Boariu, CFE and COO/co-founder of Clothes Bin, discusses the company's role in textile recycling, diverting millions of pounds of clothing and shoes from landfills and creating semi-absentee business opportunities across the U.S. He reveals that only 15% of textiles are recycled, with the remaining 85%—over 17 billion pounds annually—ending up in landfills, and emphasizes the importance of convenience in encouraging participation. Clothes Bin operates as a for-profit company, primarily partnering with schools and paying them by the pound for their textile waste. Through this program, the company has returned over $10 million to schools, with over 1,000 schools now participating. Boariu also mentions the challenges they faced in creating a new franchise category and the impact of a key explainer video in driving franchise sales. He highlights the company's use of technology to monitor bin fill levels for route optimization, their practice of selling unsorted clothing by the pound in large loads, their diversified buyers and logistics, and their use of AI outreach to secure school locations. He also mentions the involvement of private equity as a minority partner. Boariu concludes by noting that the company's top franchisees are those who track metrics, relocate underperforming bins, and demonstrate resilience.** **- With Nick Boariu**  **TIMESTAMPS:** **01:45 The 85% Of Clothes That End Up In Landfills.** **03:00 How Discarded Clothing Became A Business.** **05:15 The Firefighter Assumption That Nearly Failed.** **06:40 The Two-Minute Video That Saved The Company.** **09:30 The GLP-1 Effect On Clothing Recycling.** **10:00 Why Clothes Bin Is Not A Charity.** **12:50 The Divine Timing That Saved The Business.** **14:50 Why Every Intern Never Leaves.** **16:15 The Truth About Passive Income.** **18:25 Why Everything Is Sold By The Pound.** **20:30 The Technology That Makes The Franchise Work.** **40:00 Why Locations Are The Hardest Part.** **LINKS:** **WEBSITE: http://franchisehotseats.com/** **LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjohnhayes/** **Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjohnhayes** **YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Howtobuyafranchise** **Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayesjph/** **TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnphayesfranchise** **Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/DrJohnHayes/** **Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franchisehotseatpodcast**