Recycle Used Clothing February 26, 2008

“You throw away 67.9 pounds of used clothing and rags each year, if you’re like the typical American. Collectively, Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that’s a two with fifteen zeroes) of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year.” according to Charity Guide.

In preparation for our household move, I culled my closet and exceeded my yearly quota of clothing. Unfortunately I am the smallest woman in my family so passing them along to family members isn’t much of an option except for hats, scarves and sometimes sweaters. My other options are to:

• Sell my clothes at a garage sale (to folks who offer you $.05 for a $.10 item), on eBay (I have enough to pack, thanks) or at a flea market (an organized garage sale)
• Take them to a consignment store (where you only get a fraction of the money)
• Give them away using Freecyle, FreeSharing or 2good2toss (be aware of resellers, I hear)
• Donate them to charity (clothes go to people who need them)

I initially thought, oh goodie, I can make some money selling my clothes! I packed my clothing and drove my daughter to Buffalo Exchange. They buy, sell and trade clothing. After getting lost for 45 minutes (with a navigation system that kept pointing us in the wrong direction) we dragged the clothing into the store and waited for a buyer. My daughter found one sweater that she liked which was too expensive ($40!). After looking at all my clothing they offered me $10 for a costume I had made. Even though my clothes were in excellent shape, they weren’t trendy enough (or grubby enough judging by clothes in the store – one polyester lime green coat was covered with ”pills”). They recommended Plato’s Closet. I didn’t bother after my daughter said they’re even pickier.

Back to square one. I used the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and Charity Navigator to research the charities in my area.

• The Society of St. Vincent de Paul - Serves homeless and economically disadvantaged populations. Through home visits, shelter, food assistance, employment services, thrift stores and outreach programs, St. Vincent de Paul provides compassion and support to individuals in need. I ended up taking all my clothes to St. Vincent de Paul and was warmly received.
• Salvation Army - You can donate used furniture, clothing, and other household items for a tax-deductible contribution. The sale of each donated item through The Salvation Army’s thrift stores goes to support our addiction recovery programs known as Adult Rehabilitation Centers. Their valuation guide can help you determine the value of items you donate for tax purposes. Unfortunately there are no donation sites in my town.
• Goodwill – The clothing and household goods you donate are sold in over 2,100 Goodwill retail stores and on their Internet auction site, shopgoodwill.com. The revenues fund job training and other services to prepare people for job success. Goodwill also generates income helping businesses fill gaps caused by labor shortages, time constraints and limited space or equipment. They train and employ contract workers to fill outsourced needs for document management, assembly, mailing, custodial work, groundskeeping and more. I’ve donated to our local Goodwill before and have had items thrown, crushed and broken during unloading. 

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