Choose To Recycle Your Clothing Instead
Whether you are trying to clear out your closet to make more room, are looking to update your wardrobe, are planning on moving—or are just finally ready to part with some of those older pieces of clothing, there are a lot of reasons to purge your closet. As you start to go through certain clothing items, you may be tempted to just toss them in the trash (especially if they have seen better days). However, no matter how convenient it is to toss unwanted clothing in the garbage with the rest of your trash, you should always choose to recycle instead. While it may take an extra step when compared to just throwing your clothing away, it is a smart step in the right direction that can not only help other people but help the planet as well.
If you are planning on going through your closet, take the time to look at our top reasons of why you should plan on recycling those unwanted pieces when you are done with them.
Textile Recycling Tips
Recycled Clothing Thermal Top
It is so important to recycle your clothing, instead of throwing it away in the trash. Every time you throw away a piece of clothing in the trash, it ends up in a landfill that can cost your community a great deal of money. About 95% of used clothing pieces can either be donated and repurposed or recycled.
Unfortunately, only about 15% of unwanted clothing is actually recycled.
Much like recycling your other papers and plastics, recycling textiles is relatively simple. You just need to know what to do. Here are a few tips that can help you when recycling your unwanted clothing.
Go through every piece of clothing and determine whether someone could wear it again or not. If the product has a hole in it or is damaged—don’t throw it out, recycled it.
The best thing to do with your clothing is to donated it, but you can also contact local recycling organizations as well.
You can upcycled your own unwanted clothes as well—and use old t-shirts as cleaning rags or dog toys, among other things.
If you are unsure if a clothing item is recycle-ready, then take it to the donation center anyway, many organizations also recycle clothes they can’t sell.
Before you toss any clothing item in the trash, make sure you think about donating and recycling first.
Recycling Finder
Recycled Clothing Trouser Pants
Ready to recycle some unwanted duds? There are recycling finders out there that will help you locate the right place to take your clothing. Programs like Recycling Locator simply let you enter in your zip code and it will highlight recycling stations in your area that take your unwanted clothing. This location service will filter its results by: clothing, eyeglasses, fabric, linens and shoes so you can filter your options based on what you need to actually recycle. You may be surprised by how many different recycling centers there are near you. These recycling centers will take your unwanted clothing and sort it by material type and in most situations will shred these textiles down to make recycled fiberfill or stuffing.
Depending on the organization and the textiles they get, some recycling centers will cut down fabrics and sell them as rags. Either way, these online search tools will help you find a local place for you to take that damaged, old unwanted clothing and feel good knowing that it is being repurposed into something useful.
Eileen Fisher Clothing Recycle Program
Recycled Clothing Including Donating Jackets
As there continues to be more and more awareness about the importance of recycling, different companies are starting their own clothing recycling programs to make it easier and more convenient for people to recycle their unwanted clothes and to make sure that clothing ends up in the right place. One of these programs is the Eileen Fisher Clothing Recycle Program. This brand sticks by their commitment to quality with their clothing and guarantees that their pieces will last—even if they last longer than you decide you want to keep them. This is why in 2009, the company started a recycling program where they accept old Eileen Fisher clothing and recycle them.
Since starting, the company has taken back over 1 million pieces of clothing. Here’s what they do with their clothing.
The brand takes back any Eileen Fisher clothing, no matter the condition.
Clothes in great condition are professionally cleaned and sold through the brand’s Renew program.
The brand’s Waste No More team takes damaged items and repurposes them to wall décor, artwork and pillows.
In an effort to encourage more people to participate in this program, Eileen Fisher gives the participant $5 Renew Rewards Gift Card for every item that they bring in.
Earth 911
Another great recycling program that everyone should be aware of is Earth 911. This organization is dedicated to helping people find the right place to send their unwanted clothing. This company not only highlights area clothing swaps, thrift stores, charity donations and consignments stores, but with local clothing recycling programs as well. Earth 911 makes it easy for you to find local organizations in your zip code that will accept unwanted clothing, but they will also help you with other personal items as well including eyewear and footwear. If you have questions about recycling clothing, this is the website you need to go to, as it can help answer your questions.
This company will also highlight the way in which popular retailers like H&M are helping people all over the country find an easy way to recycle their clothing. In fact, at this popular international retailer, you can come in and recycle a pair of your jeans and receive a coupon in exchange for your donation.
Goodwill
Recycle Clothes Can Help Make New Women’s Clothing
Goodwill has been around for a long time and it continues to be one of the best places for people to send their unwanted clothing when it is time to clean out their closets. They are Goodwill locations all over the country and they will accept all types of used clothing and accessories. Goodwill has a set mission in place to help those who are struggling or working to rebuild to find affordable, lightly used accessories. When you recycle your clothing through Goodwill you are giving these unwanted pieces to someone who may really need them.
Another great thing about Goodwill is that if they determine that they are unable to sell a piece of clothing, they have a recycling program in place so they can recycle these unwanted pieces of clothing.
The North Face Recycle Program
Recycle Clothing Including Jackets To Help Homeless
The North Face is a brand that is known for their commitment to the environment, by creating quality products that encourage people to get out and explore the environment. The North Face also has a program known as Clothes The Loop. This program encourages anyone to drop off unwanted clothing and footwear at any North Face Retail and Outlet stores. The great thing about this program is that you can bring any type of clothing in, in any condition, from any company and The North Face will give you a $10 reward towards your next $100 purchase with the company.
This program is dedicated to helping reduce the amount of products ending up in landfills to help the planet stay clean and healthy. The brand also works with a non-profit organization known as Soles4Souls—which helps distribute these purposed shoes and clothing and create sustainable jobs as they do it. According to the company, people have donated more than 95,000 pounds of clothing and shoes to be recycled to The North Face as part of this program and the company’s program is only growing.
Organic Cotton is Softer, Durable And Lasts Longer
Recycle Clothes Graphic Tee
There are so many benefits of buying organic cotton. However, in addition to organic cotton being better for you, better for the environment and better for others—organic cotton clothing is also softer as well. Trust us, when you feel organic cotton you will be able to feel the difference between the organic version and the non-organic version. Whether you are buying an organic cotton t-shirt, sweater or even a blanket you will love the softer feel of this type of cotton.
Organic cotton is also known for being more durable as well. Without all of the extra chemicals and toxins breaking down the cotton fibers in the clothing, organic cotton pieces are known for being much more durable than their non-organic counterparts. While you may pay slightly more for your organic cotton clothing pieces because of the quality, you can expect them to be much more durable as well. Clothing pieces will last longer and can withstand more consistent use when they are made from organic cotton. If all of the other benefits of organic cotton clothing didn’t convince you, hopefully the fact that they are a better investment will help sway you.
If you have been wondering if organic cotton clothing is for you, or what the real benefit of this type of clothing is—then hopefully this will help you gain a better understanding of what organic cotton clothing really is. There are so many great benefits that come with buying organic cotton clothing and now that you understand what these benefits are, you may be more inclined to start shopping for organic-only cotton products. With all of these great benefits, we know you will be happy if you give this clothing a try!
Recycled Clothing Helps Reduce Waste and To Make New Women’s Clothes
If you are planning on cleaning out your closet and want to get some unwanted clothes and shoes off of your hands—then make sure you know exactly what to do with these discarded items. Instead of throwing them away and having your clothes end up in a landfill, consider recycling them! Recycling your unwanted clothes is easy, it can be convenient and it is a great way to make sure you are doing your part to help others (and help the planet) all while clearing up some hanging space in your bedroom.
Shana Thompson is a full time professional writer and editor. Shana has worked extensively in the fields of content marketing, on-page and off-page SEO (guest posts, backlink acquisition), and creative writing. As an experienced pro content writer, Shana has worked on several magazines, publishing companies and marketing agencies. Many recent projects have included everything from nutrition and health services, where a lot of research and citations were needed, to writing about health, sustainable, eco-friendly products.
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