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 Clothing
Donation
A
closet dilemma: Imagine this: your closets are
full. Every time you walk through your bedroom you trip over pants that
are too tight, shirts that are too warm, and sweaters which are
hopelessly out of date. These clothes are never worn, and you don't
know anyone you could give them to without feeling
embarrassed. Here’s what you can do:
DONATE. Instead of throwing away your old clothes or selling
them through a consignment shop, why not donate them to a worthwhile
cause? Many different organizations, from The
Salvation Army to local churches and civic centers run drives for
clothing donations every year, especially around the holidays. They
make it convenient for families to get rid of outdated styles or sizes
that are cluttering up their closets and dressers. Most charities have
donation centers set up at their locations, while others also maintain
donation boxes at schools or churches. These boxes
work like the United States mailboxes; you can deposit your clothes
into a slot and, once the slot is closed, they are secured until
charity representatives come to collect the clothing.
Everything is classified as "post-consumer textile waste." This can
also include blankets, curtains, or tablecloths that other people can
use. Clothing collections often keep a great deal
of recyclable material out of landfills. This textile waste usually
constitutes about 4.5 percent of the total waste produced by the United
States, which comes to about 35 pounds of waste per
person! Once these clothing donations are
collected, they are separated by fabric and color and washed in
industrial- sized laundry machines. Sometimes, this is done at a local
laundromat. Since this is up to the discretion of the
organization who gets them, these donations can also be washed at the
organization's headquarters. Once the loads are
washed and dried, they are usually separated by clothing type (i.e.
men's, women's, children's, etc.). From here, your clothing donation
could go to a number of different places. Some organizations get the
clothes directly to people who need them, often through homeless
shelters or halfway houses. Other organizations like the Multiple
Sclerosis Association of America or the Salvation Army use clothing
donations as a way to generate thousands of dollars of revenue each
year. With these set ups, the sorted clothes are sold to thrift stores
or through the organizations' own stores. This way people are able to
buy good clothes at bargain prices while generating funds for
worthwhile organizations. The sad thing is there is generally
nothing wrong with these clothes; they just aren't wanted
anymore. Clothing collections keep this material out of
landfills and on the backs of people who need the clothing.
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