Buying clothing can become a compulsive and expensive habit. It is true that having beautiful and flattering clothing can make you feel better about yourself, but at the same time, filling your life with material possessions doesn’t necessarily meant that you will be happy and fulfilled. Not only that, but buying clothing from stores that specialize in “disposable fashion” can be extremely harmful to other countries where their manufacture has a very negative impact on the population.

While you might have a closet bursting with clothes, there are many people who have no clothes at all — and chances are, they are closer than you think they are. Help distribute the privileged of having clothes to cover your back and donate your clothes. Not only can the cheap or free clothes directly help people, but an estimated 80% of donated clothing in the United States is used by charitable organizations for donation to the needy, and for funding.

It can help save the earth, too — research shows that 12 million tons of clothing and textile waste is thrown out in the United States each year. The average person generates 4.5 pounds of trash every day ? about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year, and anything we can do to minimize this load will have a positive effect on the world.

But where, you ask, can you donate your clothes? Check out this list to find out.

Give Directly
If you a person or families nearby who could use hand-me-downs from your own families, don’t hesitate to give. Make sure to be sensitive to their situation — after all, while you may be doing you a favor, you in turn are helping them out as well.


Give to Charities
From military charities to other charity donations, there are tons of organizations that would be more than willing to help find people who need the clothes that you are donating. Veterans charities in particular know how to reach veterans in need.
Give to Up-cycling Organizations

Make sure you do your research before your donate, and make sure the veterans charities or other clothes donation sites are worthy places to donate clothes. More info like this.