What Happens to Donated Clothes?

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Conscious Disposal

Is it better to donate clothes that will be sold to extremely poor individuals who may have no other option, or is it better to keep clothes in use in the U.S. so that small merchants in the developing world have a chance to grow? Either way, used clothes are not in a landfill, so it's really a matter of personal choice. If you choose not to donate, trade them on sites like www.freecycle.org or sell them on eBay.

If you do want your clothes to go to the needy, you have some options. Soles4Souls (www.soles4souls.org) accepts all types of shoes and works with partner agencies to outfit the underprivileged with shoes that fit their locale and climate. If they get donations that can't be reworn, they give them to other agencies that grind up the fabric parts for use in clothing and convert the rubber to playground surfaces.

Dress For Success (www.dressforsuccess.org) accepts business suits and any work-appropriate attire for women in need of job training. They never sell overstock to graders or textile recyclers, but if they have excess supply or clothing that isn't appropriate for their needs, they hold biannual, invitation-only sales for former clients who need to add to their work wardrobes.

There are many other nonprofits, from charitable thrift shops to homeless shelters, that don't sell clothes to a third party. Just be sure to do your research before you donate.

Recycling

Recycling clothes, in the truest definition of the term, can be difficult. Textile recyclers don't have the time or the means to sort through individual donations, so often they only buy clothes from a collection site like a Goodwill or an AmVet drop-off center. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't donate your unusable clothing to a nonprofit. "The problem people have is that if clothing doesn't look presentable to them, they shouldn't donate it," says Larry Groipen, president of ERC Wiping Products, which sources the material for its cleaning cloths from textile recyclers and nonprofits. However, "It can be recycled no matter what condition it's in," he notes. Just be sure what you give is clean and dry, says Bragale. "Deeply soiled or mildewed clothing can contaminate an entire bin,"she cautions, "and then it all has to go to the trash."

What you can do

Repair; don't replace. Fortunately, tailors are easy to find and can repair most minor clothing defects.

Get as much use out of your clothes as you can. Old T-shirts make good cleaning rags, but you can also shred them, as well as holey jeans, to plump up a flattened sofa cushion or a throw pillow.

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