Where to Donate Old Clothes (and Keep Them Out of Landfills)

Sure, everyone wants to sell their old clothes (DePop, anyone?). But some styles are too worn out for anyone to buy. Here’s what to do instead.

Did you know that the average American throws away 80 pounds of clothing every year, which ends up in landfills? While cutting back on the load for landfills, donating used clothes (think stained, torn, and/or just totally worn out) helps reduce textile waste. It also benefits those facing economic hardship—offering support for individuals and families in need. A win-win, right? Read on for some of the best places to donate from coast to coast.

• American Textile Recycling Service American Textile Recycling Service (ATRS) in Houston, TX, helps nonprofits and communities in giving clothing and shoes a second life. With its donation bins, ATRS helps prevent millions of tons of reusable textiles from ending up in landfills. Along with Texas, it provides drop-off bins in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
• Blue Jeans Go GreenTM Cotton Incorporated, a Cary, NC-based not-for-profit organization founded in 1970 to support the global cotton industry, launched its Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling initiative in 2006. It educates and empowers individuals and organizations to recycle denim made from cotton, extending its lifecycle by turning it into something new—from building insulation and thermal packaging liners to pet bed inserts and more. Drop off your old jeans at your fave store: Participating retailers range from American Eagle to Ralph Lauren, and many offer $20 toward new denim purchases.
• The Bra Recyclers Founded in Phoenix, AZ, in 2008, social enterprise The Bra Recyclers repurposes gently used bras. According to its website, “Your old bras and new underwear can find a new life and benefit others through our nonprofit arm, The Undie Chest, while reducing the environmental impact of textile waste.” Submit an online form, mail in your donated bras or find the nearest drop-off location.
• Freecycle To keep old clothes out of landfills, Tuscon, AZ-based nonprofit The Freecycle Network™ gives away clothing and other items via local online communities. With thousands of groups and millions of members worldwide, it’s a grassroots movement for communities to give and get clothing and other products for free in their own towns. Each group is moderated by local volunteers, and membership is free.
• Goodwill Accepting gently used clothing and accessories for men, women and children, Goodwill Industries International’s donation categories include both formal and everyday wear, plus handbags and jewelry. While helping to preserve the planet by ensuring that items stay in circulation longer, donations assist unemployed people in gaining new skills and landing jobs. The Rockville, MD-based nonprofit recommends donating at its centers staffed by attendants; it operates more than 3,300 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Got Sneakers Diverting footwear waste from landfills, Got Sneakers in Miami, FL, runs an individual seller program to help reduce toxic chemicals in the air and soil. The company circulates reusable sneakers to secondhand markets, offering access to quality, pre-owned footwear at affordable prices. It also recycles damaged footwear to reuse materials or to convert waste into new energy.
• One Warm Coat Promoting sustainability and volunteerism, One Warm Coat provides free coats for children and adults in need. Since 1992, the San Francisco, CA-based nonprofit has facilitated 50,000 coat drives across the country, collecting eight million coats for more than 1,500 nonprofit partners. It has also kept more than 19 million pounds of textiles out of landfills. Individuals and organizations can get involved by donating coats, hosting coat drives and making financial donations.
• Planet Aid Since introducing its collection bins throughout the East Coast in 1997, Planet Aid has prevented nearly two billion pounds of used clothing and shoes from entering the waste stream. Based in Elkridge, MD, the nonprofit also operates solar-powered donation centers, and has 20 drop-off locations in the same state. As its website explains, “Your clothing donations are resold in the U.S. and abroad, powering an international secondhand clothing circular economy that provides livelihoods for millions of people.”
• Soles4Souls Based in Old Hickory, TN, Soles4Souls collects and distributes new and gently used shoes (as well as clothing) to people in need. The nonprofit accepts donations from individuals and organizations; since 2006, it has distributed 94 million pairs of shoes and clothing items to people in all 50 U.S. states and 138 countries. At the same time, it has kept more than 103 million pounds of textiles out of U.S. landfills. Soles4Souls also operates micro-enterprise programs in impoverished areas worldwide, helping people start their own businesses selling shoes and clothing. It maintains U.S. donation centers in California, Colorado, Tennessee and Texas.
• USAgain Collecting clothes, accessories and shoes for reuse, USAgain (pronounced "use again") in Chicago, IL, partners with schools, shopping centers, municipalities and nonprofits across the country. For every 10 bags of donated items it collects, USAgain plants a tree (with more than one million trees planted so far). Along with Illinois, it provides donation bins in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri and Washington.
• Wearable Collections Concerned with the 386 million pounds of textile waste entering New York City's waste stream annually, Wearable Collections launched in 2004. Its mission: to make recycling clothes as easy as recycling cans and paper in residential buildings. Offering weekly pickups, it sells the collected clothing and raises funds for charitable organizations.