Have you donated to charity this year? If not, consider it! Your charitable donations do more than just make you feel good — they provide a number of tangible benefits to your community, the environment, and even your closet. Here are three of the best reasons to find a charity pick up in your area today.

Your donations help people in need.
Nonprofits are all about helping other people, and when you donate clothes or other goods to them, you help enable them to continue carrying out their mission. About 80% of all clothing donations go directly to the needy or are used for fundraising. Many charities use their fundraising efforts to offer support for military families, provide programs that help unemployed or underemployed people find work, or help other groups of people in need, such as the blind.

Giving away your unused clothes reduces clutter in your closet.
Americans buy a lot of clothes. According to Forbes, the average American woman owns enough clothing to wear a different outfit every day of the month, and the average American family?s expenditure on clothes is a hefty $1,700 per year. All of that clothing has to go somewhere, so make sure it has a better destination than a landfill when you?re done with it. Many organizations that pick up donations are happy to accept clothing, which makes decluttering simple for you.

Donating makes the world a greener place.
Unfortunately, not everyone looks for alternatives to throwing old clothes and other recyclable goods away. Only 30% of solid waste escapes landfills by being recycled, even though the EPA estimates that up to 75% of that waste could be recycled. The United States generates 12 million tons of textile waste every year, much of which is clothing. Donating clothes to charity doesn?t just help nonprofits and people in need — it can also keep millions of pounds of useful clothing out of landfills.

An enormous amount of clothing gets recycled or donated to good causes every year. In 2011, donations kept 2 million pounds of clothes and other textiles from being thrown away. If you?re inspired to help other people and clean out your closet in an eco-friendly way, look for a charity pick up in your area today.