Donating clothing to charity is a solid option for used clothes for a number of reasons. First, it prevents waste. Used clothes, even ones that are in poor condition, can be repurposed 100% of the time, as well as other types of used household goods. Donating clothing to charity also helps to support charities, providing funding for charities like wounded veterans charities, providing aid to those in need.
Every year, almost five billion pounds of clothes are donated to charities in the United States, with total giving to charities close to $4 billion in 2014. Used clothing donations such as these can have a considerable positive impact on the environment. Donating clothing to charity kept over 2 billion pounds of fabric out of landfills in 2006 alone. However, donations of clothes could always be higher. Statistics show that only 15% of used clothes and household goods end up donated, and that over ten million pounds of clothes are sent to landfills every year in the United States.
Donating clothing to charity does more than help the environment. Almost half of all recycled clothing is worn secondhand, whether it is bought for a fraction of the original price or given out as part of a charitable act. The best charities to donate to either give donated clothing directly to people in need or put the proceeds from secondhand clothing towards programs that benefit the underprivileged. Veterans clothing donations can help to clothe veterans in need, for example, and donating clothing to charity can put money towards helping families in need.
So how do you know when to donate clothes? Chances are, most of us have at least a few articles of clothing we could part with. The fact of the matter is, Americans are buying more clothes than ever before, at least twice as much than twenty years ago. Every year, the average person throws away around twenty pounds of items that could be donated, including used clothes, linens, and other household goods. But if you live in a one to two season climate and haven’t worn a piece of clothing in over six months, it’s probably time to say goodbye. Instead of simply throwing it away, donating it to charity can help to keep clothes out of landfills and help people in need.