Around the world, textiles is one of the biggest industries of all. After all, everyone needs clothing to wear, may it be everyday clothes, work or military uniforms, or formal wear or anything else. In the United States in particular, many millions of garments are produced and consumed every year, making it a huge industry there too. And while Americans are consuming many garments, sometimes they do not give these garments back to society. Often, old clothes are simply thrown away, and they end up in landfills. By contrast, some clothes are taken to clothing drop off locations for charity foundations, and donations to veterans is always a fine idea. Charity clothing donations can be sent to clothing drop off locations any day of the year, and such donations are always welcome. What are the current trends for clothing purchases, donations, and waste? And how might a household decide which clothes of their to give away?
Rates of Donations and Waste
As mentioned earlier, the garment industry in the United States is a big one. Americans are buying more clothes than ever, and a typical woman today has an outfit for every day of the month. An average American today, in fact, is buying twice as many clothes today as they did 20 years ago. The bad news is that when a person’s clothes are worn out or no longer desired, these clothes are not always given to clothing drop off locations. Many old clothes are simply discarded, and this adds up fast. It has been determined that the average American today throws away some 70 pounds of clothing, linens, and any other textile items per year. This means, in turn, that nearly 10.5 million tons of clothes end up in landfills every single year, where they are just taking up space. Those old clothes are not doing anyone any good out there in a landfill. In fact, the textiles industry currently has one of the lowest recycle rates for any industry with recyclable materials, with a recycle rate close to 15%. The rest of the clothes are either shredded and converted into furniture stuffing, or end up in landfills.
The good news is that Americans do take part in plenty of charity per year, and most Americans have a charitable spirit to some degree or other. Even if only 15% of old clothes are being donated, this is still a lot. Some 4.7 billion pounds of old clothes are taken to clothing drop off locations across the nation every year, in addition to other charity types. On top of that, millions of donated clothes are sent around the world to help international families in need as well, from India to African nations to Latin America. This shows that the American charitable spirit is strong, and improving clothing recovery rates simply means stoking this existing spirit to new heights. Americans are willing to give. Sometimes they might need a little reminder or encouragement to give some more, and this can be a real boon for families in need. How might this humanitarian work be done?
A Donation Method
Deciding which clothes to send to clothing drop off locations can be fairly easy, even if a person or household has a very large wardrobe of clothes. The following procedure is a simple and universal one that can help boost charity rates across the nation. First, all members of a household can gather every single garment and personal accessory in the house and assemble it all into a single pile on the floor. This can create a comprehensive inventory that gives everyone an accurate idea of how much clothing they own, and some people may be surprised by how big the pile becomes. Everything from shirts and pants to coats, dresses, shoes, and gloves can go into this pile.
Now, everyone can sort through the pile and choose what to donate. Clothes for donating may be worn out, or out of fashion or redundant with better items in the wardrobe. These clothes can be set aside in boxes or bags for donating, and these cloths can then be taken to local clothing drop off locations. Donating old clothes can even result in receiving a tax rebate form, an attractive bonus.
