Whether you are doing the 30 Bags in 30 Days decluttering challenge, or you find yourself in the situation we did with a sudden influx of fast fashion waste (you can read about that here), you might be wondering how to donate used clothes. There should be a quick and easy answer to that question, but there isn’t. Your donation drop-off will depend on the season, the quality of the materials, and the need in your city or town at the time.
Seasonal Considerations and Space
Most thrift shops and homeless housing service providers lack the space to store out-of-season clothing. Trying to donate to help the unhoused is a great idea, but in May in Los Angeles, light clothing is going to be more useful than heavy sweaters. The facilities may not have the capacity to store the sweaters until they are needed, and the people they serve can rarely hold onto something for later use.
Non-profit thrift shops sell, donate, or trash clothing donations. Things that they can sell immediately stay with the shop to help support the community they serve and their employees. Believe it or not, a lot of clothing donations end up being sold to overseas salvage buyers, often throughout Central and South America and Africa. This sounds great in practice, but, in reality, it tends to flood the local markets, which, in turn, has critically damaged their local textile industries in favor of the cheap gear.
Seasonality is one of the reasons it took us nearly nine months to donate the clothing we rescued. We made the discovery in late spring, but the clothing was better suited for the fall and winter months.
How to Dispose of Clothes Not Good Enough for Charity
The vast majority of people who make donations to charity during their closet declutter challenges have the best intentions; however, there is no denying that charities end up with a lot of clothing that is simply unwearable. I think the general feeling is that if someone is in need, they won’t care if there is a stain or a small rip.
The donor may not review the clothing at all, or they might think that it just needs a good dry cleaning, the cost of which is something thrift store buyers cannot or are unwilling to absorb. And the thrift stores themselves rarely have the capacity to make even minor repairs.
If some of your clothing isn’t good enough for charity, think about textile recycling. Sustainable clothing disposal is actually becoming cheaper and more convenient. You can use a service like Ridwell that will come to your house to recycle old clothes, or if you live in Los Angeles, you can take them to a place like SUAY.
SUAY will repurpose or recycle used textiles. They keep fabric and dyes out of landfills while also providing training and work opportunities as artisans create something beautiful out of something discarded. It’s not free, but they are open to partnerships.
Consider Your City’s Current Need
During the Los Angeles fires in January, people were desperate to do something helpful, so they donated tons (literally) of clothing, along with other items, with the best intentions. We were among them at first, until we saw the overwhelming volume coming into the donation centers in the Marina.
While there was no central donation site, here are the clothing donation calculations from the biggest centers:
- Trashie reported collecting at least 79,000 pounds (35.8 metric tons) of clothing.
- SUAY took in more than 50,000 pounds (22.7 metric tons) of clothing.
- LA Dream Center collected more than 10,000 pounds.
The volume was extraordinary. Piles filled the Rose Bowl parking lot in Pasadena. The outpouring was incredible to see. Donation hubs stepped up to organize the donations so that there was some hope of getting them to the people who needed them.
But the reality was, most people who lost their homes (and everything in them) were in temporary housing or shelters. They couldn’t take a lot of stuff. And that temporary housing shuffle lasted a long time; in fact, there will be people displaced for years, although most of them found longer-term temporary housing rather than using revolving hotel rooms.
I’m not saying don’t donate in times of crisis. However, it can be helpful to wait and see what is needed before dropping off bags of items that might not be used. Organizations will put out calls for specifically requested items. I know the Venice Hub was terrific at putting out daily lists of what was needed and delivering the items to people.
A Breakdown of How We Donated the Rescued Fast Fashion
The majority of the clothing we rescued was heavier, best suited for the late fall and winter months in LA. Unfortunately, we got them in late spring, so we had to work fast in the initial distribution.
First, I separated the clothing into three categories:
- Excellent condition (missing labels only),
- Small holes easily fixed, and
- Shredded beyond my ability to repair.
Then we started distributing to anyone who needed or wanted them. The organizations that received donations:
Ridwell (6 bags)
Ridwell took six bags for textile recycling (four at no cost as part of our service, two bags cost us a small additional fee to recycle).
SUAY (5 bags)
We managed to stuff five bags into two SUAY donation bags ($40). They were set to take somewhat damaged items and turn them into something entirely new and beautiful.
Upward Bound House (4 bags)
Upward Bound House provides immediate, safe housing for families with children in Santa Monica, Culver City, and throughout Los Angeles. They could only take things that were immediately useful, so we were able to give them four bags of great condition sweatpants, sweatshirts, and similar items.
Marina Rotary Club (1 bag)
We still had bags of great condition clothing in January, when the fires swept through the city. We donated one bag to start, but when we saw the outpouring of donations, we stopped at one bag. It felt like they were already being overwhelmed, and we figured it was better to wait and see what would still be needed in a few weeks/months.
LA Sanitation (4 bags)
Throughout the year, LASAN holds donation drives. Every two months, the donation category changes, and the donated items are given to established organizations that can then distribute them to those in need. We gave them four bags of good-condition clothing, including some with small repairs.
I know what you are thinking: that number is more than 16. This is true. In addition to the 16 bags we rescued after talking to someone working to close the store, we also took on five or six additional bags that had already been shredded.
Conclusion: Donating Your Old Clothes
If you are asking yourself how to donate used clothes in your city, know that you have a ton of options that you might not have considered. For items that really should go to textile recycling, look for centers in your area that provide education, training, or textile repurposing. Check to see if Ridwell, or similar services, will come to pick up your textiles for sustainable recycling. Check women’s shelters and family shelters in your area for their immediate needs before donating, and inquire with your local sanitation department to see if they have charity partnerships and donations schedules that might benefit from your next closet decluttering.