How can your used clothing donations help others? If you’ve never thought about donating your used clothes and household goods, you might be surprised at the answer. Charity organizations like wounded veterans charities raise funds for their programs through sales of used clothing. And when you donate clothes, you’re keeping them out of the landfills. Reusing and recycling clothes is the environmentally friendly choice.
Recycle old clothing instead of discarding
Used clothing and textiles can be reused and recycled, but mostly they just get thrown away. Instead of being used someone who will find them useful, old coats, shoes, clothes, sweaters, kids and baby clothes end up in landfills, which are already full to the point of overflowing. In fact every year Americans throw away about 70 pounds of textiles in the form of used clothing, linens and other things.
Donating used clothing to wounded veterans charities and other non profit group helps to keep them out of landfills. In 2006 alone, used clothing purchases accounted for 2.5 billion pounds of fabric. Not only did these find a useful afterlife, they were kept out of landfills, reducing the burden on the environment.
Are clothing donations really useful for someone?
Nearly all used used clothing and textiles can be reused and recycled. Most Americans have too many clothes, which is not surprising since they buy them at twice the rate people did twenty years ago. Donating used clothing and household goods is a good chance to empty out your closets, attics, and basements.
Many people can’t afford to buy good quality clothes new and look for secondhand ones in thrift stores run by non profits like wounded veterans charities. The old clothes, toys, books, coffee makers, and even furniture that you no longer have a use for might be just what someone else needs.
Where to donate clothes
Wounded veterans charities and other non-profits like environmental groups and foundations for the blind have drop boxes set up at prominent locations in parking lots in the neighborhood. You might even have seen them in passing, and wondered what they were for. Many groups will also schedule pick ups from your home, particularly for large items like furniture.
The good news is that your donations to wounded veterans charities and other groups really do make a difference. They are sold and the money raised is used to fund educational, health and family support programs.
So donating used clothing to wounded veterans charities and other non profits really does make a difference on many different fronts. It gives good quality, useful clothes to people who can’t always afford to buy them new; it helps charity foundations to fund their programs; and it helps the environment by keeping millions of tons of material out of landfills. And best of all, if you tell your friends about it, you will inspire them to do the same. As one Shakespeare’s characters said: “How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
