Recycling Old Clothes and Accessories

CEBU, Philippines — An overstuffed closet is really such a hassle; it’s hard to find something in the clutter. It is, therefore, advisable to clean out your closet regularly. And when you do, you’re sure to have pieces of anything that you no longer need or don’t fit anymore.

Simply throwing unwanted stuff away is not only wasteful, it can add to the world’s pollution. In fact, the fashion industry is now being counted as one of the world’s biggest polluters, according to the website https://earth911.com. The website shares smart ideas on how to properly discard old clothes and accessories:

1. Sorting Things Out. First, sort your stuff into three piles: great condition, good condition and poor condition. Great-condition clothing looks new, has retained its shape perfectly, and bears no signs of wear and tear. Usable-condition clothing may be a little bit faded or worn but still in wearable condition with no stains or holes. Poor-condition clothing is stained, threadbare or has holes in it.

2. Clothing Swaps and Used-Clothing Stores. Great-condition clothing and accessories are excellent candidates for clothing swaps or consignment stores. To host a clothing swap, invite a handful of good friends who wear approximately the same size to bring their closet surplus, and you can exchange clothes among you. Alternately, bring your items to a used-clothing store in your area. They’ll sell them for you and give you a portion of the proceeds.

3. Charity Donations. Good-condition clothing can be donated to charity like Salvation Army. Oftentimes charity organizations give the donated items to truly deserving beneficiaries or sell these to raise funds for their charity initiatives.

4. Clothing Recycling. If you’re getting rid of clothing because of its poor condition, maybe no one else will want to wear it, either. For those densely stained, torn or otherwise un-wearable pieces, clothing recycling is the answer. There are store that accept stuff for this purpose. You’ll be giving away to them the clothes that are absolutely no longer useful, which the store will break down and make into new textile.