Our Used Clothing Donation Program | Help (2024)

FAQs

What clothing items should not be donated? ›

Dirty or Unwashed Clothes: Clothes that are dirty or unwashed may not be suitable for donation. It's important to provide clean and hygienic items. Single Socks or Shoes: Single socks or shoes without a matching pair may not be useful. Charities often prefer items that can be immediately used.

First, by donating your clothes to Goodwill instead of throwing them in the trash, you prevent them from ending up in a landfill, where they can take years to fully break down, releasing harmful gases into the environment in the process.

If you need the money, make the effort to sell your excess—especially when it comes to big, expensive items. But if you do not need the money, just give your things away. Reselling your clutter adds time and energy, anxiety and frustration to the minimizing journey.

By donating your unwanted clothes to charity, you're not only helping the environment, you're also supporting brilliant causes. In fact, donated clothing is one of the biggest sources of funds raised by charities. The best part is that you can choose which charity you want to give that coat, dress or top to.

In reality, a large portion of donated clothes typically aren't suitable for someone else to wear because they are in poor condition. Those unwanted clothes can then become a problem if they get shipped overseas or worse, incinerated or landfilled.

Only consider donating items that are like-new or gently worn. Do your shorts still have a weird smell? That's a no for us dawg. If any of your clothes have spots or stains on them, try to remove them yourself or take them to a professional.

It fosters a sense of generosity and connects the donor with the community in a meaningful way. In every donated garment, there's a story of kindness and a shared human connection. Summary: Donating clothes contributes to personal and community well-being.

The importance of thrifting for sustainability

Less clothing in landfills: Most clothes are made from synthetic materials, which take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills. When you thrift, you help extend the life of clothes, which can reduce the volume of clothing sent to landfills each year.

Should you wash clothes you are donating? ›

Thrift Tip: While most people wash the items they donate, most thrift stores don't have the capacity to clean the goods they sell. That's why we recommend washing your items before donation and after purchase.

If something is a size or two up, that's one thing, but if a pair of pants literally falls down when you put them on—those need to go to a new home. And if a clothing item is too big in a way that you no longer like how it fits or looks, then you'll probably never wear it, so it's best to donate it.

"Vintage" is a colloquialism commonly used to refer to all old styles of clothing. A generally accepted industry standard is that items made between 20 and 100 years ago are considered "vintage" if they clearly reflect the styles and trends of the era they represent.

And when consumers throw away clothing in the garbage, not only does it waste money and resources, but it can take 200+ years for the materials to decompose in a landfill. During the decomposition process, textiles generate greenhouse methane gas and leach toxic chemicals and dyes into the groundwater and our soil.

You have a blouse that has gone out of style, a dress you feel doesn't flatter you and a jacket that is no longer the right size. These are the types of clothing you want to donate. You can also donate any clothes that you simply don't like any more.

Check to see if your local authority collects clothes and textiles to be recycled. Drop off your unwanted items at recycling points and clothing and textile banks in supermarket and local car parks – find your nearest below.