where to donate old clothes for recycling

How to Recycle Old Clothes

• Donating Donating old garments to charity thrift stores near you, such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army, might be the most obvious clothes recycling option. ...
• Selling Make a quick buck (and save the planet!) by selling your gently used clothes at brick-and-mortar thrift stores or the best places to sell clothes or old stuff online. ...
• Textile recycling ...
• Composting ...
• Repurposing ...

Full Answer

What to do with clothes that are too old to donate?

Value Village, Goodwill, & Salvation Army will likely accept your old clothes that can't be donated regardless because they already have recycling programs in place to sort their waste into the appropriate streams.

What to do with clothes that can't go to charity?

What to do with old clothes1) Transform and upcycle into something new. ... 2) Check out local textile & fabric recycling spots. ... 3) Ask your council about textile collections. ... 4) Give to an animal shelter. ... 5) Donate to charity. ... 6) Pass on or hand them down. ... 7) Rent your clothes. ... 8) Swap your old clothes.More items...•

What clothes should not be donated?

No fabric items like bedding, towels, or clothes should be donated unless they have been cleaned. Dry clean or wash everything and treat any stains before donating.

Can you throw clothes in the garbage?

1. Don't throw unwanted clothes in the bin. First things first, if you have to get rid of your clothes, don't throw them in the bin. Discarded clothes sit in landfill, can take years to biodegrade and then contribute to toxic air pollution[1].

What to do with clothes that are no longer wearable?

Scroll down for a few options on how to do so.Look into textile recycling near you. ... Donate them to places that take old clothing. ... Talk to thrift shops. ... Drop them off at stores that will help. ... See if they can be composted. ... Turn them into rags to use around your house. ... Look up other textile recycling programs near you.More items...•

Do charity shops wash the clothes?

Yes some charity shops will wash clothes. I have worked in one and someone very close to me also works in one. BUT, as it's an expense to them to wash, they will normally only wash them if they feel the clothes are quality items or quality brands that will sell.

How do you throw away clothes?

Tips on How to Get Rid of ClothesSell Gently Used Clothes to a Consignment Shop.Hold a Yard Sale or Garage Sale.Donate to an Animal Shelter.Sell Online.Donate to Vietnam Veterans of America.Donate to Dress for Success.Give to a Rummage Sale.Donate to the Salvation Army.More items...•

Do thrift stores wash clothes?

Most secondhand stores don't wash the clothes before selling them. Donations are typically washed before they're donated, but we still recommend giving them a good cleaning when you get home. Even if the clothes are washed before they hit the thrift store floor, people will have since touched them.

What items should not be donated?

What Not to Donate to GoodwillItems in Need of Repair. ... Recalled or Unsafe Items. ... Mattresses & Box Springs. ... Fireworks, Weapons or Ammunition. ... Paint & Household Chemicals. ... Building Materials. ... Extremely Large or Bulky Items. ... Medical Supplies.More items...•

Do donated clothes end up in landfills?

While you may donate your old clothing to charity, the truth is, even then, a whopping 84 percent of our clothing ends up in landfills and incinerators, according to the EPA.

What types of clothing does goodwill accept?

Items We CAN AcceptVehicles—We accept donations of vehicles in all conditions. ... Clothing, shoes and boots.Jewelry.Hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves.Books, records, CDs, videotapes, and DVDs.Games, toys, and sports equipment.Housewares: dishes, glassware, kitchen utensils, lamps, and small appliances.More items...

Should I wash clothes before donating to Goodwill?

Wash or dry-clean clothing. Test electrical equipment and battery-operated items. Include all pieces and parts to children's games and toys. Check with your local Goodwill Industries agency to determine standards for donating computers and vehicles.

What to do with old shoes?

Old shoes should be donated if at all possible. Shelters or non-profit organizations usually accept donated shoes. Another option for athletic shoe...

What to do with old eye glasses?

It is not too often we replace our eyeglasses, but keep in mind that glasses of any type are happily accepted through charitable organizations. It’...

What to do with old t-shirts?

If your old t-shirts are worn out and in bad shape, you can cut them up into rags to use for cleaning. If you’re crafty you can find dozens of fun...

Does Goodwill take bras?

Goodwill donation guidelines differ depending on location so you will need to check with your local store. Another option for bras is The Bra Recyc...

What happens to clothing when it’s recycled?

First textile recyclers sort the clothing by color and material type, then it is shredded into fibers, in order to make fiberfill or stuffing. Some...

What to do with old pillows?

While technically not clothing, this question comes up a lot. One place that may gladly accept your old pillows is your local animal shelter. Old p...

What to do with old clothes that can't be donated?

If you don’t know what to do with old clothes that cannnot be donated, recycling them is your next most eco-friendly bet to ensure you do the most good.

Why Should We Recycle Clothes?

Thanks to “fast fashion,” the U.S. alone contributes to about 21 billion pounds of textile waste to landfills each year.

Why do people do clothing swaps?

Clothing swaps are great because you’re getting ahead of spring cleaning, and, if you add some wine, it even feels like a chic or eclectic party depending on your friends. Once the swap is over, you’re probably going to have leftover clothes that just didn’t find a new owner. When in doubt, donate!

What is a clothing swap party?

A clothing swap party is where everyone attending brings an agreed-upon items of clothing or accessories from their own closet. This is great even after you purge and you just want to rotate a few specific items out.

Can you donate bras?

Another great way to donate lightly used bras are by contacting local domestic violence shelters or homeless shelters and ask if they accept bra donations. It’ll most likely be a yes as many people aren’t aware of how hard it is to come by bras in donations.

Can you go shopping after you get rid of clothes?

However, once you’ve gotten rid of all your old clothes, you might eventually get a need or itch to go shopping. In order to stop the vicious cycle, we need to stop purchasing clothes every season just to fit in the latest craze. Don’t lose all the progress you have made by decluttering and donating!

Can you sell old recliners?

While you’re doing this, consider allowing your decluttering frenzy to extend over to other household items. Getting rid of old recliners, unused exercise equipment, or household junk is very similar to clothes as it can be all be sold, recycled, donated, or hauled away.

How to recycle clothes?

There are many ways to recycle clothes depending on their condition, from donating to composting to repurposing them. Throwing clothes away should be the last resort, according to experts. “Landfills are essentially tombs for waste,” says Lauren Olson, zero waste manager at WorldCentric. “Anything you can do to avoid landfilling an item and otherwise recycle or compost it will help.” Not only do landfills release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, but they can also pollute the local land, water, and air with hazardous chemicals. Who knew that simply throwing out your unwanted items could do such damage—or that such a simple change could help the environment so much?

What to do with old clothes?

Wondering what to do with old clothes? Before tossing them in the trash, consider clothes recycling. Your outdated and discarded wardrobe could end up like the 2.5 million tons of textiles that were recycled in 2018—instead of the 11.3 million tons that were dumped in landfills.

What do animal shelters use old towels for?

Animal shelters also often accept old towels and sheets, which are used to line pet cages, dry off wet dogs, and more. As your spring cleaning kicks into high gear, check out these kids’ closet ideas and small closet ideas for a less cluttered space.

Can clothes be recycled?

Textile recycling. While clothes don’ t belong in recycling bins, they can be recycled in other ways. Textile recycling centers accept and sort garments that are not in good enough condition to donate or sell, like stained and torn items. Many of these donations are sold abroad to regions such as Africa or Asia, ...

Where can I recycle clothes?

Some retail stores will even reward for participating in their textile recycling and sustainability efforts. For example, recycle any clothing at Levi’s stores and receive a 20% off a single item coupon, H&M also rewards you with a coupon to use on your next visit. These companies are doing their part to make recycling easier and keep more out of our overburdened landfills so it also feels good to do your shopping at these stores and show support for their efforts.

How much of unwanted clothing is recycled?

The fact that only 15% of unwanted clothing is actually recycled is a huge part of the problem. There are a few different options when it comes to unwanted or worn-out clothing depending on the condition. We will break them each down and help you decide how to responsibly get rid of your unwanted clothing and accessories.

How are textiles recycled?

First textile recyclers sort the clothing by color and material type, then it is shredded into fibers, in order to make fiberfill or stuffing. Some fabrics are cut down and sold as rags, and some are made into bales and sold by weight.

What to do with old t-shirts?

If your old t-shirts are worn out and in bad shape, you can cut them up into rags to use for cleaning. If you’re crafty you can find dozens of fun ideas on Pinterest or online for creating a new life for your old clothes.

What is a clothing swap?

Yet another option is a clothing swap. These are very popular for children’s clothing. It also works with a group of friends who wear similar sizes. A community can organize a central meetup location and bring clothes no longer needed and swap for things you want or need. This is a great way to give new life to your clothes, keep them out of landfills, and pick up some “new to you” clothing for yourself or your kiddos.

Can you recycle fabric?

So, what about unwanted fabric or ripped clothes…even socks? They certainly are not worthy of reselling or even donation, but they can still be recycled. There may be a collection bin in your local shopping center or mall, any type of fabric, clothing or textile is accepted here as long as it is not too large. Another possibility is through your city or county. You can check if they are having a collection event soon or some schools do clothing drives and quality is not an issue as they are paid per pound and the collected items are sent to a recycler. Terracycle also has Fabric and Clothing Zero Waste boxes available which are super convenient. https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/zero_waste_boxes/fabrics-and-clothing

Can you donate old shoes?

Old shoes should be donated if at all possible. Shelters or non-profit organizations usually accept donated shoes. Another option for athletic shoes is Nike’s Reuse-a-shoe program. Simply drop your athletic shoes off at any Nike store, they accept all brands, but not sandals or boots, dress shoes, or shoes with any metal. They will probably recycle them into new products.

How are recycled textiles reused?

Some donated textiles are recycled into new clothing and then resold. Others are sent off to undeveloped nations to help those in need, and the remainder is turned into things like industrial rags, insulation, loudspeaker cones, furniture padding, and even new clothing.

Why should we recycle textiles?

Even if a fraction of that is recycled, the percentage that is not recycled will end up taking years to decompose in landfills. And not all of this fabric is even capable of natural decomposition. Synthetic fabrics like fleece and polyester just turn back into microplastics, creating more and more pollution. So the reason for recycling textiles is simple — if we do not, then they shall one day envelop the world.

What is wearable collection?

Wearable Collections is a textile recycling organization based out of New York City. Dedicated to minimizing textile waste across the country, Wearable Connections has been working with businesses and municipal organizations and salvaging discarded clothing for over two decades. According to the company website, 95 percent of what Wearable Collections collects is repurposed.

What happens to second hand clothes?

The idea of recycling or donating clothing is an easy concept to grasp. Once donated, good quality secondhand clothing is repurposed, resold, or redistributed to those in need. But what happens to the not-so-good-quality clothing? What does one do with old rags, sheets, drapes, and other tattered textiles besides throwing them away? For those pieces, there is textile recycling and luckily, finding a textile recycling program near you is as easy as following the steps below.

Is there a recycling program in California?

California has one for the entire state while New York has one for the state and a separate one just for New York City. If you don't live in either location, however, Earth911 ’s recycling locator is a great tool for finding textile recycling programs in your area.

Does Goodwill recycle clothes?

Speaking of Goodwill, according to Waste Dive, the company sends much of the unsellable textiles they receive to textile recyclers all over the world. Still, Goodwill employees do have to take time sorting the clothing to find all the usable pieces first, so if you know your textiles are unusable, it's better to donate somewhere that specifically accepts fabric scraps.

Does Patagonia recycle clothing?

According to Fast Company, some companies, Patagonia, for instance, will actually buy or accept donations of its clothing from customers in order to recycle it. Other companies like H&M and American Eagle Outfitters offer in-store clothing recycling bins to collect textiles or accessories of any brand.

How much of clothes donated to thrift stores are resold?

Only 20% of clothes donated to thrift stores is actually resold. The rest is trashed or dumped in the Global South, where it pollutes their land and water, and disrupts their local textile economy. Ghana’s Kantamanto market is a prime example of this. Besides that, Goodwill can be exploitative.

What to do before dropping off clothes?

Before you drop off your bag of clothing, I recommend repurposing or upcycling what you can. When your clothes stay with you, you know their impact.

What is freecycle forum?

Freecycle is on online forum that allows you to post offers or wanted items. Unlike Buy Nothing groups, you can join multiple locations.

How to get rid of clothes?

One of the easiest ways to get rid of clothing and household items is to leave it on the curb. You can leave a “curb alert” on your Buy Nothing group, freecycle.org, or Craigslist, or just leave your stuff outside. While this requires the least effort, you can’t gurantee that you’ll find someone who will give your clothing a good home, as people who walk by aren’t necessarily going out of their way to get something they truly want/need.

How to ensure clothing will be used?

One of the best ways to ensure your clothing will be used is to give it away directly. While you can’t control what they ultimately do with the clothing, these people will go out of their way to pick things up from you; if they’re willing to put in that effort, they’re more likely to make use of the clothing.

Why do hospitals have closets?

Hospitals often have a free closet for patients who arrive with damaged clothing. In other situations, clothing may need to be cut off patients to assess injuries, or taken in as evidence for sexual assault cases.

When will Goodwill donate clothing in 2021?

May 23, 2021. For Americans, Goodwill is the go-to place to donate clothing. Goodwill is a non-profit that provides job training and generally affordable clothing. While it has a good mission, the organization doesn’t always live up to its name. If you’re hoping to avoid Goodwill, or wondering if your donations will go further elsewhere, ...

What is fabric recycling?

Similar to recycling plastic or metal, fabric recycling generally involves bringing the textile back to its original form (yarn or thread) in order to make it into something new. American Recyclers documents the process on its website.

Can you throw tattered clothes in the trash?

Sure, it’s easy to throw tattered clothing in the trash that’s too worn-out to donate. But, after doing so, there’s only one final destination: the landfill. The solution? Recycle textiles instead of tossing them out.

Does Goodwill recycle clothes?

Goodwill is one of America’s largest recyclers. Not only can you donate to the thrift store for reselling, but you can also drop off your worn-out fabrics for recycling. According to Goodwill’s sustainability agreement, the company works with local agencies to repurpose and recycle all sorts of materials.

Is there a recycling program for textiles?

There’s a good chance there’s a textile recycling program nearby that you don’t know about. And depending on the brand, the company may even have its own in-depth corporate textile recycling program. Here’s everything you need to know in order to go about textile recycling properly.

Is clothing recyclable or garbage?

Between confusing greenwashing labels and fast fashion that basically falls apart after a year, it’s tough to say what’s recyclable and what’s garbage. But great news: Both natural and synthetic materials can be recycled and kept out of landfills.

Can you donate clothes to American Recyclers?

American Recyclers has thousands of recycling bins all over the country. And they don’t just take clothing: You can also donate belts, shoes , undergarments, towels, rags, stuffed toys, curtains, and more. Plus, all donations are tax-deductible. Find a bin near you here.

Can you recycle clothes?

If you aren’t the sewing type, don’t worry. Even the most worn-out clothing (yes, socks and underwear included!) can be recycled. Unlike paper and plastics, there aren’t always curbside pick-up options for textiles. Thankfully, there are plenty of in-person options that allow you to drop off your garments.

What do you do with old clothes?

But they all provide you with financial incentives like retailer discounts, loyalty reward points, and gift cards .

What company recycles clothes?

Its Reset, Recycle, and Refresh program partners with the recycling company Marimole to collect your old clothes and turn them into new materials, such as yarn used for manufacturing new fabrics or household goods.

Where can I recycle Levi's jeans?

Visit your local Levi’s store or outlet, which you can find by using the store locator page on Levi’s website, and drop your old jeans in one of the recycling bins. Your used clothing will be remade into materials for building insulation. A portion goes toward community-oriented projects like libraries, hospitals, and schools.

How many Love Soma points do you get for donating a bra?

In return, receive 125 Love Soma Rewards points per bra donated, equal to $5 in discounts, up to a total of 250 points per month or $10 in rewards points.

Why are retailers recycling?

According to National Geographic, more and more retailers are hopping on the recycling bandwagon because it makes good business sense, even if the company isn’t yet a sustainable clothing brand. Thus, while online lists are a great starting point for examples of what’s available, retailers constantly add new programs.

How much clothing is polluted?

A 2016 report commissioned by Savers, a thrift retailer, found that Americans toss an astounding average of 81 pounds of clothing every year. And to make matters worse, apparel can take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill, according to Close the Loop, all while releasing harmful greenhouse gases.

Why do kids go through clothes so fast?

Kids clothes present a unique challenge for recycling. Kids go through clothes fast due to constant growth spurts and how frequently they stain and tear them. It makes it nearly impossible to find options for donating or reselling their clothes.

What percentage of textile waste is in landfills?

Textile and clothing waste is a significant problem in our country. It is estimated that anywhere from 5 to 10% of all waste that is sent to municipal landfills is comprised of textiles. These items are often very dense and consume significant landfill space.

What is SWALCO recycling?

With those statistics in mind, a need to look for new solutions, and a goal to increase reuse and recycling, SWALCO established a community-wide program where clothing and textiles can be collected for reuse and recycling. This program not ony diverts items from landfills, assists our local community, but it also supports our greater environment and planet beyond. The program will accept new, gently used, or unwanted/worn, women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and textiles. All fabrics will be accepted. Even clothes or textiles with stains or holes, along with those notorious single socks, will be accepted. The great news is nearly 95% of the materials collected will be repurposed, reused or recycled.