Where do your clothes go when you're tired of them? Maybe when you were little, you passed your old clothes along to a younger sibling, but now that you're all grown up your old clothes probably go to a charity or thrift shop. And then what happens to them? The answer may surprise you.
Elizabeth Cline is the author of a book, called Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, about the global impact of cheap, disposable fashion. A few excerpts from the book, found on Slate, provide a fascinating look into the industry that's sprung up around our cast-off clothes.
Most of us suppose that when we donate our used clothing to charitable organizations like the Salvation Army, it will make its way to disadvantaged members of our community. In reality, the demand for used clothing in most cities is not nearly high enough to account for the enormous volume of donations.
The Salvation Army distibution center in Brooklyn that Cline visited first sorts donated items based on style, condition and brand. "We keep only the best," the center's director says. Every day, the center processes an average of five tons of clothing, from which exactly 11,200 garments are selected. These items are placed for sale in one of the eight Salvation Army locations served by the center. If the clothes are not sold within a month, they are removed from the racks and sent back to the processing center. Some are donated or given to other charitable organizations that will give them away, and then the clothes that the Salvation Army is unable to use are processed into enormous bales of textiles, weighing half a ton each.
From there, the textile bales meet one of two fates. Either they are sent to a secondhand textile processor in the United States, where saleable clothing will be sorted out and the rest will be recycled into padding for car upholstery, or industrial rags. Or they are sent overseas, mostly to Africa. At any number of African ports, the giant cubes of clothing are opened and then pored over by African clothing resellers, who, fueled by increasing demand for stylish clothing, pick through the bales for the most desirable finds. The flood of used clothing is having a negative effect on local textile industries, who are underpriced by all the cheap exports. And it's possible that as the African market becomes more particular, there may come a time when we're no longer able to export all our used clothing there, meaning the rejected clothes could wind up in landfills.
So what's the lesson here? Should you stick with three-year-old styles, or only wear hand-me-downs from great aunt Mildred? Not necessarily. The takeaway is that we should all think smarter about we buy, keeping in mind that purchases we make have the ability to affect everyone, not just ourselves. And this doesn't mean you should hang on to that pair of jeans that fit perfectly ten years ago, or a moth-eaten sweater that was last worn in 1994. Here, grouped according to the classic three R's of Recycling, are some Apartment Therapy suggestions for ways to reduce the waste of cheap clothing, save money, live stylishly, and be a better global citizen in the process.
1. Reduce. Think before you buy: is this a super-trendy style that I'll be tired of in a year? Am I buying this just because I want to buy something? Making an effort to buy less clothing, and higher-quality, classic styles when you do buy, is earth-friendly and also wallet-friendly.
2. Reuse. "Close the circle" by shopping at thrift stores. Or clean out your closet and organize a clothing swap with friends, or look for an event hosted by an organization like Swapteam. You'll be cleaning out, cutting down on waste and getting new-to-you clothes… for free. Win-win.
3. Recycle. If you have old clothing that's in an unwearable condition (rips, stains, tears), consider ways to re-purpose it at home. For example, old t-shirts can find new life as capes, decorative pom-poms, pillows, a shopping bag, or a quilt. There are even more ideas in this post about 13 ways to re-purpose old clothes.
What about you? Do you have any creative ideas for re-using old clothes?
Read More: The Afterlife of Cheap Clothes on Slate
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This isn't surprising, given the sheer volume of clothing that gets donated to these organizations. I can't possibly imagine anyone wanting to buy most of the stuff that people donate. I typically wear my clothes until they are almost rags, but I still donate them instead of throwing them out. But seriously, is it really so bad that old clothing gets turned into stuffing for car seats or industrial rags? That fate is still better than immediately throwing it in the trash.
More and more I'm glad I make my own.
This is all very interesting considering I shop mostly at thrift stores and I donate a lot also. But recently my friends have hosted clothing swap parties and they are a really great idea if you have a hug group of people so there are lots of sizes to pick from! I've gotten great quality pieces that were free!
If anyone is looking to get those older, serviceable clothes to people who really need them, check with local churches, who often make "closets" available, or (especially right now) state-run medical facilities, like mental hospitals. Patients often come in by court order, arrested and sent straight to the facility, which means they have the clothes on their back and nothing else. Oh, and if you have interview appropriate clothes in the mix (hey, sometimes things just don't fit anymore), rehab centers are a great place for those.
With the bedbug epidemic (100% in New York City), I refrain from using any previously owned fabric or apolstered furniture. It just isn't worth it to me.
To add to what MINUET42 said, you can also donate to old age homes. When my mom was in there, some of the older folks didn't have families (or the families are absent) so they didn't have a lot. When Mom passed away, we took a few things for sentimental reasons & donated the rest to the other patients.
I definitely agree that we should be conscious about what we wear, how much we cycle through and where it goes when we’re done. I’ve lived overseas and seen an entire industry emerge around discarded American clothing. There are both positives and negatives to the practice, but it is a reality and it was a source of income for a lot of people. I will continue to donate (and shop at) the Salvation Army and Goodwill because they use the money on job training and creating jobs. I really like the other options for donating that people brought up too, thanks.
"We keep only the best"? I was just in a Salvation Army this weekend (dropping off clothes!) and I took a look at the clothes they were selling. No way all of it was "the best" even of donated items.
Anyway, Slate is really late in reporting on this issue. It's been covered MANY times before.
I agree with @Minuet42 there are a lot of places besides the salvation army you can donate. There's a womens shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence at my church. Most of the time them and their children have to leave their homes and can't take anything. I donate toys and clothes there all the time.
Donating clothing is a win-win from the premise of the tax write-off given. You are actually rewarded for donating the clothing and household items you don't want or need!
There is another route for unsold clothing: bales are sometimes sold to retailers overseas where "vintage" American styles are popular. I visited one such store in Paris, in Le Marais. I've also met a woman who used to buy these bales to stock her "resale" boutique in the Boston area.
I am happy I make everything myself, I fix gently torn garments for my family and repurpose used sheets into new pillow cases, and things like that. Next project is to make a dress for myself from a oversized cashmere sweater from my hubby :-)
I also agree with donating clothes to other places other than the Salvation Army and Goodwill. I have always donated my clothes and odd sorts to our crisis center and to a homeless shelter. That way my items are probably going to get used right away and those people won't have to pay for the items
I live in the SF area. So when I have clothes that are still wearable, I head down to where the homeless hang out and give them away.
There is also a homeless shelter that I donate to in Martinez, California. And finally, when I can, I sell them to 2nd hand or 'vintage' shops. I don't get a whole lot of money but more than if I threw them out.
Although I do ask for receipts for my donations, I find that for me, it really doesn't do much for my taxes.
If it's just too soiled, I'll re-purpose the fabric. I agree with another post..I like that they are recycled into padding..better than putting them in the trash.
I generally wear clothes until they can no longer function as clothing--then they become rags.
@Galval: How does that even work?
I am curious about the tax write-off thing. I've heard about this a lot on American websites. Don't think it's done in Australia (I've never heard of it, anyway).
If you're donating clothing, who puts a value on the donation for the purpose of the write-off? How is it calculated?
True story:
I was in Kenya about 9 months ago and there was a public service announcement on the radio about the health risks of purchasing used undergarments and not washing them before use.
I buy 85%-90% of my clothing at second hand stores, mostly at our local (really nice) Goodwill. It's a treasure hunt, and I end up with some great quality items that I then keep for several years. I agree that the volume of discarded clothing (and other items like household goods) is disheartening. I agree--only buy new when you have to, and think outside the box when donating to find used items a home.
CHARLIE26: Regarding tax write-off. The government only allows a certain amount of money that you can write off regardless of how much household items or clothes you donate.
The stores you donate to don't put in a dollar amount; they give you a blank receipt and sign it. You give it to your tax preparer and they know the highest amount that can be written off.
As stated earlier, this has done nothing to reduce my taxes. Unless you donate a car, I don't think it really works. For me anyway; I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
If it's cotton, cut it into squares and use it to clean your house. Reuse old clothes while reducing your need to buy new, useless cleaning items like sponges and paper towels. Yay!
We usually don't have to throw out unworn clothes because we managed to carefully built post-college wardrobes.
When stuff becomes unwearable I have several options:
- Put it in the 'clothes for dirt-jobs' pile.
- Upcycle it - which could mean that I do little things like cutting of the lower, ripped part of a sleeve and re-hem it, even if the e.g. dress shirt is no office option then. Sometimes I use them to make tops for me or use them to line a new skirt or dress or handbag, a quick drawstring bag to pack shoes or hoisery... or even crazy quilting.
- Downcycle it: shirts to rags, old towels cut in pieces for washable 'cotton balls' or sewn up to bathroom rugs, old, but soft sheets to hankies.. rag rugs..
I could go on forever.
It's for sustainabilities sake and for the fun of it. And I confess, I'm a bit proud every time someone ask for a 'me-remade'.
Just don't put anything in a Planet Aid box.
@Charlie26: I'm a transplanted Canuck currently in the States. Under American tax law, donations made "in kind" to a charity can be claimed as a charitable donation, as long as a receipt is issued. Quite different than the practice in Canada, where only cash donations can be claimed.
Has quite an effect on the local Freecycle and Craigslist postings. Freecycle lists are quite active in my hometown, Toronto. People give and receive pretty decent stuff. (Also helps that both the Salvation Army and GoodWill have stopped sending trucks around to pick-up unwanted items due to the city congestion).
By comparison, the local Freecycle list in Birmingham, AL has many more "want" posts than people looking to give things away, as it's often less hassle to take the items to the Salvation Army or GoodWill and get the tax receipt!
@CHARLIE26 and LYONSTILL: if you have an item that is of significant value you can get it appraised. In the US each item of clothing has an acceptable dollar amount for taxx write-off purposes--the Salvation Army website lists the donated value of clothing.
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/0/d477340ffa28755c8525743d0049d1ef
@Jamie02,, why would you donate clothing that is "almost rags"? I donate only what is in good condition but not being used. If something is tattered, I use it as a rag or throw it away. You aren't supposed to fob off your junk on charities. They don't want used underwear (the Clinton's famously itemized Bill's grotty shorts on their tax return). They don't your t-shirt with pizza and sweat stains.
We did a big cull of books recently, bringing many boxes of them to Goodwill. The guy there asked whether they were encyclopedias, because everyone has been bringing those is and "no one wants them". Why do people treat these charities like free dumps?
@charlie28, LYONSTILL, & Bagelsmom: Technically according to the IRS, it's the donor's responsibility to assign "fair market value." The charity or your tax preparer is not legally responsible -- you are. Fair market value of used clothing is "significantly less" than the new value, and there is no set rate per item. It's up to the taxpayer to assign a value (that's why the charity gives you blank receipt), and the IRS even suggests shopping at thrift stores to find out fair market value. Yes, unless you're donating a car or lots of bigger-ticket items in a single year, it's not worth tracking for most people. See the IRS publication 526 for details: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p526/ar02.html#en_US_2011_publink1000229703
Thanks MIZINFORMATION!
And this is why I HATE fast fashion. I either buy thrift-vintage, go to designer sample sales, or get clothes in clothes swaps (my friends have been doing this for ten years. I love fashion probably more than the average gal, and yes, i' have a particular weakness for avant garde English designers, but I try to be responsible and practical. High quality lasts years (sometime needing some darning or light repairing) and I'm happy to keep my pieces in circulation since I only buy what i truly love.
My mom, who grew up during the WWII, never lost her saving and conserving habits. She used to mend old underwear and clothing, sewed her own, and turned thredbare rags into rags for kitchen and cleaning use. I try to do this with old tshirts.
love clothing swaps. we have a good community in Bloomington, IN.
I shop at resale shops and donate quite a bit, as well as using Freecycle. If an item is stained or otherwise less than what I would want to buy at said shops, it will be repurposed. I make rugs, rags, potholders, etc. If it is even too bad for that, it goes into the compost bin, if it is a natural fiber. Better to be food for my garden than going to a landfill, IMHO.
I moved recently from the U.S. to Spain and because closets are smaller here and storage is at a premium in our small apartment, I use this philosophy whenever I clothes shop. I try to only buy pieces that work with existing pieces I own and that appear to be good quality. But buying good quality clothing is not affordable for everyone. A lot of people don't choose to buy cheap clothes that ruin in just a few washes. They buy them because that's what they can afford.
I used to use this text 'Are my hands clean?' by Sweet Honey in the Rock to discuss consumer ethics with my college classes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9sBRnVeUuI
I used to have a studio in the same building as a local thrift store. I was always appalled by the trash people would dump on the this store. Volunteers would have to sort through trash bags to find salable items and then haul the rest to the dump and pay to get rid of it. Please respect the volunteers who donate their time and the charity they work for by only donating items in the condition you would consider buying yourself.
My rant for the day!
@duane hill... buying new doesn't protect you from bed bugs... don't you remember the abercrombie and victorias secret store bed bug fiasco of a few years ago?
@CARRIH, you're so right, people who take rags to thrift stores are so out-of-the-loop.
It's the 'consumer society' mindset that's the real problem in this ecological problem. There's such a dearth of actual self-worth, artistic and healthy pursuits, that the only way most know how to "feel better" is to "get something."
This tendency toward impulse buying is what allows many clothes in fine condition to end up at thrift stores. People buy something, decide they don't like it after all; it hangs in the closet a few months, then gets donated, often with the price tag still on it.
I used to volunteer at a small thrift store but had no idea about the large-volume ones and where the excess was sent. This was very illuminating; thank you for an excellent article!
And anti-trade??? sheesh. How does that sand taste.
Giving the clothes to a charity should be the first and best option because the lifecycle infrastructure is already in place to get the best possible use out of every thread. That is, when I donate my old clothes (most of which are in pretty good condition -- I just find something ethically objectionable about donating clothes that are torn, stained, etc) I know that some of them will end up with people in my community who need them, some will end up in other stores, some will end up overseas, some will end up recycled, and a small amount will end up in a landfill. If I throw away those clothes in a trashbag, there's a pretty large chance that almost all of it will end up in a landfill. It's a no-brainer, really.
Re: taxes. If you use a software like TurboTax, then you can put in the number and type of item you donate and the software will use a lookup table of various fair market values for each type of clothing to arrive at a total. I donate to the local shelter about 3 times a year, so I personally write off about $400 worth of clothing (pretty notable I think). Another reason to donate instead of throw away.
The only clothes I typically buy new (with RARE exceptions) are shoes, underwear, and socks. Everything else is Thrift, my new favorite being "Savers" which donates part of it's profits to "local" charities (The Epilepsy Foundation, hereabouts.) I love ethnic garments which I stockpile to "do something" with, more than actually wear... but I WILL eventually! I love weird art-wearable type jackets. I buy silk knit T's and tanks, and wear them under camp shirts. Even if something happens to an item, I'm usually out less than $10 (and the emotional turmoil of losing a favorite bargain)!
I never donate to the Salvation Army due to their strongly anti-gay policies. Since I am handicapped myself, I donate to Goodwill and to Savers.
I work in a Library, and we take clean, marketable used book donations for our monthly book sale. What we do not take are things that don't sell: encyclopedias (which people THINK are valuable because they think the info doesn't date -- it does -- and because they were expensive investments in the first place); Reader's Digest Condensed Books; old textbooks; anything damaged, mildewed, smelly; magazines; old sets like Time-Life book collections; etc. Some of these can be given to 1-800-GOT-BOOKS, but they are not thrilled to get them either. Things like this that we withdraw from the Library collections get the covers removed and sent to a paper recycling program -- we have to PAY by the pound for this service, so we don't want donated stuff that has to be dealt with that way, either.
(On the other hand, collectible books, books with autographs, first editions of classics, and things like that are consigned, in MY Library, with a book dealer who gets a market price and gives us 70%. We got and sold an autographed copy of Dan Brown's first book -- $500.)
What may have to happen in the future is more careful sorting of unwanted fibers. Cotton can be reprocessed into paper and insulation. I would imagine that polyester and other "plastic" fibers might be recycled some way, too. Wool can be re-spun into yarn for carpet. Like that. If nationally we go that route, there will be costs that we will need to accept as part of the stewardship of our planet... we have been getting things much more cheaply than their true, long-term costs, for too long.
This isn't mentioned in #1, but when buying clothes, I think it's really important to consider the fabric. Does it seem high quality? Will it hold up? Would you ever want to re-purpose in some way, either by turning it into another article of clothing or household object?
I try to stick to buying 100% cotton and avoid poly/acrylic blends.
I live on the street at this Brooklyn salvation army and I see truckloads of clothes "cubes" daily.. it's true. it's wild how much leaves that store that is deemed "unsellable"
What's wrong with Planet Aid?
I do at least 85% of my clothes and dishware shopping at thrift stores. Now that I've found a few close stores with a wide variety, not only do I not miss shopping elsewhere; I detest going to the mall. I can always find name brand clothes in perfect condition at the Salvation Army. I've even come across many items with the store tag still attached! Plus every trip feels like a treasure hunt, AND I'm helping to recycle clothing.
There was an article in the Chicago Tribune last year sometime about this. I think that Salvation Army or one of the other large organizations actually makes more money from the sale of bulk textiles than from thrift store sales. They said they will take any kind of fabric, so I've started donating things that I know they can't sell. Better than going to a landfill.
@Griffin: I don't know about Planet Aid specifically, but some of those clothing drop boxes aren't legitimate charities. They may give a portion of their proceeds to charity, but some are for-profit companies. Some are nonprofits that spend very small parts of their budget on actual programs that help people. Some don't help local communities at all. You should check out each one before donating.
Here is another place to donate clothing and other items!
http://kcwillisministries.ning.com/page/lightshine-thrift-store
http://www.omaha.com/article/20120628/NEWS/706289896/1016
I buy a lot of stuff at garage sales, clothes for me and also for my family back in Argentina. All the stuff is dirt cheap and many times you get new clothes even with the tag still on for a dollar or less. My donations in clothes, household stuff, etc. go to Frisco Family Services, where they resell them and help the local community, and I also shop there as much as I can. Like someone said, donate clothes in good conditions to shelters, they will surely put them to good use.
I am of the camp where 85% of my wardrobe is bought thrift. Either at 2nd hand or consignment shops, sticking to new for undergarments, socks, and shoes primarily. I also donate what is in good condition when it no longer fits or works for me. Because I live in a nice area near a city (and a obscenely huge mall), I have a fantastic selection of good brands and current styles and see no need to buy retail if it is avoidable. I'm the one who benefits from others spending crazes. Not only is it more 'green,' but it is far more economic.
Clothing swap parties! Good Will etc, Crossroads and other consignment places rock!
My stepdaughter is a struggling mom 24/7, student wiht 12 units, and waitress working 3 12-hour shifts every week. She just barely brings home $24K a year. If she took Cline's advice (I heard Cline interviewed on NPR), she'd either be naked or starving. The book is full of very good points, but IMO, she fails to really understand the reality of the working poor.
I have always been able to purchase nice clothing and I take very good care of everything. So much so that in my forties, I still had the wardrobe I purchased in my early thirties. It was time to revamp my attire for my age and career level, and so I had the great pleasure of giving everything to our daughter. The payoff of my ability to buy qulaity classics is that even with decade-old clothes, our daughter now has an opportunity to be very well dressed for free.
Before you donate to a thrift store, offer your best pass-alongs to somone you know who might benefit.
I used to work in a thrift store, and 75% of what people donate is completely unsellable garbage, 90% of clothing donations would make most sane people shudder. That said, we did have things in place to recycle unusable clothing and large appliances. Remember, old mattresses are against the law to resell (though we did give those away to the needy) and car seats are considered one-use items and also cannot be resold. I would love to purchase more of my clothes from thrift stores, but plus-size clothing is hard to find second hand.
Hello, tag sales. And clothing swaps. My two favorites.
@KANDYCE78 I have the opposite problem! Small sizes are hard to come by in the stores I frequent, but I'm a guy so maybe that's the reason?
Anyway, thrift shopping is how I get a lot of my clothes. My budget makes it hard to get "new" clothes otherwise.
I shop nearly 100% thrift store with the exception of shoes and underwear- I shop at the thriftstores where the donations are coming from my own upper middle class neighbors, so I feel like I'm sort of countering their over-consumerism AND wearing current fashion that I would NEVER pay retail for. On a different note, I'm shocked at the idea that sending bulk clothing shipments to places like Africa would actually cause long term harm to their local textile related economies. I'm thinking this is over reactionary, and that those shipments of donated clothing are desperately needed. I will continue to donate, recycle and reuse whenever possible.
I second the post stating that plus sizes are hard to find in vintage and thrift stores. It can be very frustrating. Over the past few years, I re-evaluated my needs and my shopping habits. I now buy only what I know I will wear and spend a decent price for decent quality. My budget is very tight, but sticking to quality, buying less, and shopping your own closet really works out in the end. I also like to sew doll clothes for a hobby, so reusing items as fabric works out very well for me. I almost never have to buy new fabric (which can be very pricey).
Thanks for all the explanations re: the tax write-offs. I had a look at the Salvation Army site that someone linked to, and - wow! The write-offs are really quite generous, IMO!
I don't know what effect that would have on donation rates, etc., but it's an interesting point of difference.
I shop at a local thrift shop which generates money for our community food bank, a womens shelter and resource center. I do not support Salvation Army because they have anti-gay policies.
I got my best dress from a Salvation Army store. It's a black Ann Taylor dress with row of rhinestones around the neckline. It cost a whopping $5 and I get a lot of compliments. I proudly admit where I got it. I'm guessing it was worn once.
I hate when I see the crap some people drop off at my local Goodwill store. It costs them money to get rid of it.
I've heard that animal shelters like to get old towels, sweatshirts, tee-shirts, etc., to pile up for animal beds. I imagine you could cut any kind of clothing into strips, fill a big pillowcase with the strips, and make a pretty decent pet bed. Not a pet owner, but I've heard shelters need these.
Easiest way to claim donated goods on your taxes:
https://itsdeductibleonline.intuit.com
Values are based on what major thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army price the stuff at. You itemize what you donate and TurboTax plugs into the form and gets the info. Bing. Done.
(Ditto what someone said about Salvation Army and their anti-LGBT stance. Goodwill gets all my business now.)
We have to stop abusing African and other Third-World countries as trash bins.
It's not just old clothes. The same applies to frozen chickens from, often state-subsidized over production or of unsellable bad quality. As with the clothes the local African production suffers from cheap European competition.
To dispose expired drugs is very expensive. Manufacturers and wholesale traders 'donate' them to Third-World countries and reduce their own taxes with those 'donations'.
Disposal of toxic waste is even more expensive. There's a whole industry thriving on shipping our hazardous waste to Africa. To be 'recycled' by people working without any protection and later to be disposed unregulated.
All those being involved in the transfer of such 'goods' earn a lot of money. The recipient countries' governments are not able to deal with this and our governments don't want to deal with this.
After realizing that most of the clothing I donate come from Target and Old Navy, I have become very selective about what I buy there. Honestly, I have had better luck with some Target pieces standing the test of time than the Old Navy stuff. ON clothing is very bad quality. You get what you pay for.
Not guilty. Both the clothes I wear and the clothes that I sew for myself and my husband are worn until they are rags. Then they are used as rags. When they are ragged apart then they are torn into ever small pieces and put into the food processor where they are turned into mulch. From there they make it into the gardens, as an addition to homemade paper projects and into the walls as insulation. There is very little that can't be used up long before it ever reaches the stage to be put into the food processor. I just don't buy anything that can't be used. BTW, plants seem to be doing well.
I will get hate for this but I buy most of my clothing from Target and Walmart. Nothing has just fallen apart like people want to claim. Most has lasted a good five years and at that point I'm willing to buy another shirt or whatnot. I tend to end up donating most of the more expensive clothing I've bought since I'm always too wary to wear it. I can't afford to replace a $50 dollar shirt that often if I am a klutz and spill food on it. I can however go buy another $10 shirt easily and the old shirt gets cut up to become my new cleaning rags.
Regarding @HCI's post: "Just dont put anything ina Planet Aid box" I found this article:
http://greencottonblog.com/2009/05/planet-aid-revisited-not-a-charity-afterall/
@HCI, thanks! I had no idea. I'm shocked as in the past, I have donated to Planet Aid. :-/
This is a great article. We donate a lot of clothes to thrift stores, but I always make sure they are in decent condition. Otherwise it's made into rags. 80% of my wardrobe is hand me downs from friends who shop well. Works great for me!
I also recently discovered a consignment store in town that resells upscale clothes at great prices. I get nice clothes at a great price and give them a second chance at life (so to speak).
Word of caution: Make sure your donation goes to a good cause. I have discovered our town has many thrift stores that are for profit and benefit no charity. I've resigned to driving a bit further to the new Goodwill store to make donations.
I make art out of clothing that I feel is not acceptable to be donated. The more worn and threadbare the better for great textures!
A friend of mine who teaches crafts and sewing to kids started a "Pimp my Dress" workshop. Kids bring in items they no longer enjoy and learn how to alter them into something exciting and new. They take picture of the "old" and show them in a slideshow for their fashion show of the "new" wrap-up. The kids (mostly teens - girls AND boys) love it.
Woops! I meant to write "primp" not "pimp"!!!
Money is not an excuse. Its one of the reasons I LOVE good will. I can't tell you how many good mall and department store level items I've purchased on either 50% off color tags or $1.29 color tag sale days. I've built a fun, fashionable and affordable wardrobe on less than $ 20 a month. It just takes persistance and some time. I refuse to buy something new unless I know its virtually impossible to find at a thrift store. Its my duty to the community, the environement and my bank account.
Plus if you care for your things properly they don't wear out so fast. And some things can be fixed so simply, where others throw things away.
In a country where 85 percent of used clothing ends up in a landfill, who cares if a company collecting used clothes is non-profit or for-profit? If it's getting recycled, that's great. As the book makes abundantly clear, American shopping habits means there is more than enough to go around. So you don't get to the assuage some middle class guilt by thinking your cast-offs are really changing someone's lives when they show up at the overburdened Goodwill warehouse if you put your junk in a big yellow Planet Aid bin, big deal. The obsession with the worthiness of who is getting the crap you don't want any more, is classic hoarder behavior.
And for those patting yourself on the back for only giving the good stuff to thrifts and trashing your ratty stuff - did you not read the article? Someone may not buy your ratty t-shirt or destroyed jeans off the rack (in fact, they will never make it to the rack) but they are recycled for their fibers. Denim is made into a great insulation product, other fibers become auto upholstery. Again, it's not about you feel like a good person - it's about recycling these resources. The thrifts make money on the stuff by selling it to the balers.
As lifelong thrift store shopper and former manager of a local hospital thrift, I say Goodwill and Salvation Army are for amateurs. The racks are too crowded, disorganized, and everything is too expensive. The larger scale non-national chains, local thrifts, and DI (run by the Mormon Church) are much better to shop and donate to. My family is probably getting about 80% of our total clothing from thrifts/consigment/yard sales at this point and when we are done with stuff, the good stuff is put out at a yard sale and baby/maternity stuff goes to a consignment sale. What doesn't sell from there is donated to one of the thrifts I shop at. The ratty stuff and all socks and undies go directly into a local Planet Aid or USAgain bin directly- it seems like there is one on every block, so when I have a small grocery bag filled I put it in the car and drop it off when I see one. They might make a small profit on my trashed clothes and undies and be cult weirdos or whatever but the stuff gets recycled.
Oh, and in my time working in the thrift store I never saw anything that gross and didn't lament all the terrible things that were donated. Occasionally someone would dump some unusable furniture after hours but I was often impressed with the quality of the clothes that would show up by the Hefty bag full. The volume of clothing we received was overwhelming. Every morning we would find bags stacked at the front doors and throughout the day we had a constant stream of donors who mostly were dropping off just clothes.
I am just crossing year 2 of shopping exclusively at thrift stores (except for the oft mentioned under-garments, swimsuits, shoes, etc). It has been an interesting experiment, satisfying in many ways. I plan on keeping up with the habit. Just last week I was in Nordstroms with a friend to assist with dress shopping--and I had serious culture shock. As for the glut of unsellable clothes, I totally believe it--there are literally truckloads of tatters at some of the places I frequent. Rags are rags--folks...use in the garage or instead of paper-towels...
I believe it's possible to recycle clothing in "textile recycling bins" in some cities. The fabric can be reused (and in fact, paper money is made from fabric, as are many paper products).
I do try to avoid buying cheap, high fashion clothes, and many of my favourite items are from thrift stores. Clothes that my children have outgrown, or that don't fit me any more, I ask around friends and family who might appreciate them before donating to charity (especially if I paid a lot for them). I have kept some clothes, shoes and bags that I no longer wear or use because they are beautifully made, lovely items that I can't bear to part with.
Some jeans stores will recycle old jeans. These are made into home insulation.
Patterned fabrics, especially cottons, will be of interest to quilters or rag rug makers. Check with your local Agricultural Extension Office (even on the outskirts of urban areas) or senior citizens' groups. Home seamstresses might be willing to cut and hem handkerchiefs, dish cloths, and/or cloth napkins from dresses or shirts.
Maintenance workers and mechanics go through incredible amounts of rags. Cut up your old worthless stuff and make a working person cleaner and happier.
And--100% cotton scraps are compostable.
Are you all using cloth diapers?
I think there is also an issue with people not taking proper care of their clothes. I do buy from places like Forever21, which is notorious for selling pretty much disposable clothing, but I buy pieces that aren't right-now trends only but that I will wear for a long period of time (pretty much basics) and then I TAKE CARE OF THEM. It drives me nuts when people say that certain brands get holes after the third wash or whatever, because that has never happened to me. Learn to wash your clothe properly, mind the care instructions, and they will last you longer. I still have clothing I bought 10 years ago at Old Navy and stores like it.
In response to LoveThisSite, it is not always more environmentally friendly to use cloth diapers. If you live in a place where water is close (fresh water), then using cloth diapers is more environmentally friendly (i.e. Michigan). However, if you live in a place where water is further (i.e. Nevada), it is more environmentally friendly to use disposable diapers because it is more of a burden on the environment to get fresh water to you (like dams, artificial canals and the like). So it all depends.
to the person with the bedbug phobia, dryer at 140 degrees will kill them. if you dont want to do dryer, put in black plastic bag and leave in the sun for a week. i buy most of my clothes from consignment/2nd hand and do clothing swaps with friends. we help each other with alterations etc. things not nice enough to be donated are used for rags, art, or whatever. communal closet with your friends can be a great way to go. same with accessories, books, housewares, etc. why spend the money or take up the space? the less stuff you have the less space you need leaving more $$ for things like retirement, vacations or wherever your priorities lie.
When I lost 50 lbs., I gave away all my size 24 clothes to a co-worker of my mom's. She and her extended family ended up with what was thousands of dollars' worth of clothes for free.
Now I don't buy retail - if it isn't deeply discounted on the "if it were any cheaper we'd be paying you to take it" rack, or at a second-hand store, I don't want it.