The holidays are over, and it’s very possible you’re looking at your closet and wondering how all your new clothes are going to fit. Many people will decide to take the route of “out with the old, in with the new” and purge their dresser drawers to make room for a new spring wardrobe.
Unfortunately, a lot of those old clothes end up in the trash, especially after a big holiday season. About 12 million tons of textile and clothing waste are tossed in the garbage in the U.S. every year, and 90% of the clothes and textiles thrown out in 2011 could have been reused or recycled.
Recycling clothes that are unused or uneeded helps reduce the waste that ends up in landfills, as well as environmental pollution. Making charitable clothing donations is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment and help someone out at the same time.
You may not even have to leave your home to donate clothes. There are plenty of charities that will pick up donations so you don’t have to leave the house to drop them off. Charities that will pick up donations may have certain requirements for what kind of clothes they’ll accept and how they should be packaged, so make sure you check with them before you schedule a donation pickup.
Charities that will pick up donations often distribute the clothes to struggling individuals, military families and veterans. Giving your extra clothes to such organizations allows you to give back to your community in a way that will only take minutes out of your day and won’t cost you anything.
In 2011 alone, Americans recycled about two million tons of textiles and clothing, and that number will only increase as word gets out and more people begin to participate. Do your part to boost that number and find organizations that accept clothing donations in your area!
