How to Recycle Clothes

Choose good quality clothing items to donate. You shouldn’t donate clothes that are stained, ruined, or wouldn’t be used by somebody else. That only does more work for people who work or volunteer at a donation center or store. Set aside the clothes that you don’t wear anymore, but are still in good condition to be donated.^[1]

Wash and dry any clothes you plan to give. Many donation centers and thrift stores cannot accept dirty or wet clothes as they can be a safety hazard.
Separate clothes into similar groupings: put shirts with shirts, shoes with shoes, and pants with pants to make it easier for the people who will sort them.
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Find a local donation center to donate your clothes too. Go online to search for donation centers in your area that will accept your clothes to save on transportation costs and to support a local center. Additionally, many larger charities like Habitat for Humanity often have drop-off locations where you can donate clothes.^[2]
- Contact the organization to make sure they’ll accept your clothing items before you drop them off. Some charities only accept specific clothing items for donation
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  Donate your clothes to Goodwill to help fund their employment mission. Goodwill has a location in almost every major city, and most accept walk-in or drop-off donations at any time and without an appointment. Goodwill uses part of its profits to provide training and employment services for people who are looking for a job, and you can help fund their mission with your donations.^[3]
  - Go to Goodwill.org to find a location near you.
  - Contact your local Goodwill by phone to see if they have specific times for you to drop off your donations.
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    Give your clothes to a local thrift store for secondhand shoppers. Local thrift stores rely on donations to stay in business and to provide low-priced clothing options for people in your community. You can recycle your clothes back into your local economy by providing your local thrift stores with good quality clothing items.
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    Call the Salvation Army to pick up your clothes. The Salvation Army is a charity organization that uses parts of its profits to support educational programs and initiatives to help the homeless. They also make donating easy by offering a pickup service that will come to your house to pick up your clothing donations. Call your local Salvation Army to arrange a pickup.^[5]
    
    Go to SalvationArmy.org to find a location near you.
    
    Contact a local homeless shelter to see if they will accept donations. Homeless shelters are often in need of clothing items, especially items like shoes and coats. Call or visit a local shelter and ask them what things they need before you donate, because they often do not have the resources to sort your questions, and can only accept what they can use.^[6]
    
    Go online to find a shelter and get their contact information.
    
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    Select lightly used clothing items to be resold or swapped. If you have clothing items that are still in excellent condition, but you still want to get rid of, you can make a little bit of extra cash by reselling them, or you can exchange them with someone else for another item that you will use. Choose good quality clothing items to set aside to be sold or swapped for something else.^[7]
    
    Make sure the clothes are clean and dry.
    
    If you still have the tags on the clothing item, all the better! It shows that the item wasn’t worn and even shows the original price