I didn’t realize goodwill and other big thrift stores threw out so much. I will definitely be looking into more sustainable places to donate clothes. I just went through my wardrobe and significantly downsized
Yeah, it's quite sad! Most of it isn't directly thrown away in the US, but instead dumped abroad in Africa, where some of can be resold, but much of it is trash and causing a waste crisis. I have a blog post with more orgs, in case it can help! imperfectidealist.com/where-to-donate-clothes-besides-goodwill/
Takeaways from cleaning out my high school closet at age 27: 🕰️ Cleaning out your closet responsibly takes TIME. This whole process took me almost a year (and I still have some things I plan to give away once they’re seasonal again). It’s obviously a lot of effort, but I also appreciate how this large effort makes me more conscious of what I’m bringing into my closet. 👕 What you don’t want can still be desirable to others. I was able to give away 30+ cotton event t-shirts through my local Freecycle group. The lady claimed and picked them up the same afternoon, and said she’d use them for waxing antiques. ♻️ Finally, wanted to call out some cool clothing recycling initiatives: free underwear recycling by @wearsubset + the $20 @for___days take back bag (which becomes credit you can spend on sustainable brands). For formal dresses, check if there’s an org like @fairygoodmothers or Cinderella’s Closet near you - they give dresses away for free to HS students 💃🏻 More tips + resources in my full TH-cam video ➡️ Quick clarification: only 20% of clothing donated to thrift stores is resold domestically in the US. The rest is trashed or dumped abroad (the vast majority), where some can be resold, but that hurts local textile industries. Much of what ends up abroad is garbage and piling up in landfills or polluting streets and waterways. Check out articles by Treehugger and Conscious Life and Style if you want to learn more.
I didn’t realize goodwill and other big thrift stores threw out so much. I will definitely be looking into more sustainable places to donate clothes. I just went through my wardrobe and significantly downsized
Yeah, it's quite sad! Most of it isn't directly thrown away in the US, but instead dumped abroad in Africa, where some of can be resold, but much of it is trash and causing a waste crisis. I have a blog post with more orgs, in case it can help! imperfectidealist.com/where-to-donate-clothes-besides-goodwill/
Takeaways from cleaning out my high school closet at age 27:
🕰️ Cleaning out your closet responsibly takes TIME. This whole process took me almost a year (and I still have some things I plan to give away once they’re seasonal again). It’s obviously a lot of effort, but I also appreciate how this large effort makes me more conscious of what I’m bringing into my closet.
👕 What you don’t want can still be desirable to others. I was able to give away 30+ cotton event t-shirts through my local Freecycle group. The lady claimed and picked them up the same afternoon, and said she’d use them for waxing antiques.
♻️ Finally, wanted to call out some cool clothing recycling initiatives: free underwear recycling by @wearsubset + the $20 @for___days take back bag (which becomes credit you can spend on sustainable brands). For formal dresses, check if there’s an org like @fairygoodmothers or Cinderella’s Closet near you - they give dresses away for free to HS students 💃🏻
More tips + resources in my full TH-cam video ➡️
Quick clarification: only 20% of clothing donated to thrift stores is resold domestically in the US. The rest is trashed or dumped abroad (the vast majority), where some can be resold, but that hurts local textile industries. Much of what ends up abroad is garbage and piling up in landfills or polluting streets and waterways. Check out articles by Treehugger and Conscious Life and Style if you want to learn more.
I want more!
hi! i missed your content 🌻
aww thank you so much!!
You are an inspiration!
I appreciate you!!