The textile industry is one of the largest in the entire world, and this probably will not come as a surprise. Everyone needs clothes to wear, from work and military uniforms to everyday clothes and formal wear. The United States in particular is a huge market and producer alike for clothing and other textiles, and the average American today buys twice as many clothes as they did just 20 years ago. Old clothes, meanwhile, can be donated to clothing donations sites, and a clothing donation center’s staff will be happy to receive them. Used clothing donations are always encouraged, though a lot of old garments are thrown away rather than given away. For this reason, American Red Cross clothing donations sites encourage more people to contribute their unwanted textiles and slow down the high rates of clothing waste. Where can someone find a American Red Cross clothing donations site? How much clothing can be diverted from landfills to those American Red Cross clothing donations sites?
Recycling VS Waste
Americans are always urged to give their old clothes to charities such as American Red Cross clothing donations sites, but this does not always happen. Today in the U.S., the textiles industry in fact has one of the lowest recycle and reclamation rates out of all industries that can be recycled. This fact may be troubling to some, and many donations drive volunteers would agree that this could stand to chance. Right now, only about 15% of all used clothes are donated or recycled, and millions of tons of old clothes end up in landfills across the United States where they don’t do any good for anyone. This contributes to the growth of landfills, which is a concern among many environmental protection advocates. Some clothes are recycled, but they end up being turned into industrial rags or shredded to make furniture stuffing. This gives them a new use, though charity drive volunteers would argue that these old clothes are better off being donated to families in need instead.
The good news in all this is that while many clothes are discarded, other old garments are indeed given to charity as a part of the larger charitable American spirit. Americans don’t throw away everything; most people take part in some level of charitable giving or other, and increasing clothes donations may be a matter of stoking this charitable spirit. The will to give is already here, and it may soon grow with more awareness of the need for donating more clothes. This extends to American families in need and beyond; around the world, over 14.3 million tons of donated American clothes are given to families in need.
Meanwhile, there is plenty of clothes charity around for American families in need as well. Estimates show that around 20 billion garments are given away like this per year, which figures to 68 garments and seven pairs of shoes per person, and that can add up fast. What’s more, most charity drives are open every day of the year, and the American Red Cross in particular is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year to accept donations of all kinds. This ranges from food and blankets to clothing. How might the average American family today decide to play a bigger role in this charity drive? It may be simpler than some think.
How to Donate
A family may decide to donate to charity when they have too many clothes in their wardrobe, and they can follow a simple procedure to designate some clothes for charity purposes. To begin, everyone in the home can gather all garments and accessories from across the house and assemble them into a large pile on the floor. This comprehensive inventory may include shoes, shirts and pants, dresses, coats, gloves, hats, and more. Now, everyone can sort through the pile and set aside clothes to give away. Clothes for donations may be worn out, the wrong size, out of style, or redundant. Those old clothes can be gathered into boxes or bags, sealed, then taken to a local charity pickup site and given to the volunteers there. A person can look a local pickup site if they don’t already know one.
