Comments on: Yes, You CAN Donate & Recycle Old Tattered Clothing!

By: Fru-gal Lisa

Fru-gal Lisa — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:05:23 +0000

I recently took down some very old drapes that I’d “inherited” from the former owners of my 48 year old house I bought last year. The drapes were original to the house and one part was so threadbare the light showed through it. I called our local Goodwill Industries, and yes, they accept such donations — not to sell in their thrift stores, but they bale worn-out fabrics and sell them to recyclers. My dusty, threadbare drapes will become insulation. I kept the drapes out of the landfill, and the proceeds will help fund Goodwill’s charitable works. Also, I replaced the drapes with some really nice looking drapes (in like-new condition) I bought in another thrift store — so the replacements are also frugal and green! Before donating the old drapes, I made sure I took out the drapery pins, which are like new and can be reused yet again, saving me even more money on drapery hardware. One caveat: check with the charity before you donate stuff like this, because not all charities recycle old fabric in this way.

By: Rebecca Ross

Rebecca Ross — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:25:20 +0000

You can also donate them (minus the buttons, snaps and zippers) to animal shelters. The shelter that I volunteer at uses them for bedding for the cats and dogs when they are in their kennels. It’s good to know that other places don’t just throw them away, though!

By: » Yes, You CAN Donate Tattered Clothing! | The Greenest Dollar

» Yes, You CAN Donate Tattered Clothing! | The Greenest Dollar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:40:25 +0000

[...] Original post:Â Yes, You CAN Donate Tattered Clothing! | The Greenest Dollar [...]

By: Simpler Living

Simpler Living — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:42:55 +0000

Good timing; I was just researching this for a reader of my blog. I haven’t heard back yet from the Salvation Army here (a national spokeswoman told me policies can vary by region), but here’s what a Goodwill spokesman said:

â€œOur standard response is that Goodwill welcomes donations of clothing and other items that are â€˜in new or gently usedâ€™ condition. Worn out shoes are not re-sellable or re-usable, so we prefer not to take them. Worn-out clothing, on the other hand, can be recycled as textiles so we generally accept whatever the public brings to us.â€

I’m linking to my relevant post. Thanks for the new info.

By: heather

heather — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:43:28 +0000

Yeah, I had no idea either. I do the same thing, cutting up for rags and then trash. But not now! I was super happy to find this out.

By: Green Bean

Green Bean — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:42:14 +0000

interesting! I had NO idea and usually end up cutting up old clothes to use for rags and then trashing the rest. thanks for the tip.