Donate clothes to a charity

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All Practically Green: 2,320 or so people have DONE this action so far.

All Practically Green: 32 or so people have ADDED this to their action plan so far.

Why is "Donate clothes to a charity" green?

Did you know that donating or selling one item of your used clothing can cut your carbon emissions by 27.1 pounds? So says CarbonRally.com. Donating clothes also takes something you’re no longer wearing and puts it on the back of someone who will wear it, promoting reuse. We all know how much stuff we have just sitting in our closets collecting dust. It doesn't make much (common) sense to toss what might be someone else’s treasure.

By donating to consignment or thrift stores, you help the people who shop there avoid the considerable resources needed to produce any new item they would have bought instead--fabric, pesticides on cotton, dyes, manufacturing processes, shipping, packaging and more. It’s also faster and easier than consignment, selling on eBay or Craigslist, or organizing a garage sale.

How to: Donate clothes to a charity

Go through your closets and see what you’re no longer wearing or using. Pile these items into bags.

Decide where to donate your goods. Common national options include Goodwill, The Salvation Army, and Vietnam Veterans Association. Your community is likely to have several smaller shops and local charities—ask around.

Some charities specialize in specific types of clothing. Dress For Success, for example, takes donations of professional women’s wear and offers it to unemployed and low-income women for job interviews.

Recommended Products and Services

• Savers
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Enter your zip code or city on this site to find out where to donate locally near you. They also have a way to search for organizations who pick up donations as well as accept drop-offs.

• Poised for Success
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This organization "promotes economic self-sufficiency in women by providing business clothing and referrals for career training to women on financial assistance" in and around Chicago.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters
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The Big Brother Big Sister foundation helps people "clean up clutter for a good cause." Check out the site or call their 800 number to schedule a donation pick up.

• Goodwill Industries
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The Goodwill website has this user-friendly tool to help you find your local donation center and store.

• Dress for Success
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This organization takes in donations of professional clothing and offers suits and the like for women in need to wear to job interviews.

• Salvation Army
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The Salvation Army website also offers a donation center location device, to make it easier for you to hand over what you're no longer using.

• Vietnam Veterans of America
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To find a household goods donation center near you, click on this link.

• Society of St. Vincent de Paul
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To find a St. Vincent de Paul store to donate to near you, click on the link.

Useful Links

• EPA: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle To Save Energy And Conserve Resources!
• Practically Green: How To Declutter Your House To Prepare For Sale
• Department of Environmental Protection: Reuse Centers And Material Exchanges
• CarbonRally: Challenges--Recycle Clothes

You might also try...

• Use eco-friendly office supplies
• Make a homemade card instead of buying a new one
• Sell something on eBay or Craigslist
• Compost yard waste
• Compost kitchen food waste
• Give away something on Freecycle
• Get something from Freecycle, instead of buying it
• Buy something used on eBay or Craigslist
• Consign some of your clothing
• Buy clothing from vintage or consignment stores regularly