Have you heard of this new trend of clearing out the junk in our closets to live a more serene life? Or something like that. Purging our homes of items we are not using anymore is not really a new concept. As anyone who has crossed that task off of their To-do list, it feels pretty good to see a less cluttered closet. Then you turn and see the massive pile of discarded clothing and wonder, “Okay, now what?”
Don’t throw it in the trash bin. Garbage from home textiles, such as clothing and blankets, accounts for about 5% of the total mass found in landfills. Only 10% of that mass was unsuitable for donation. If you donate gently used clothing, you will be helping families in need.
Charitable clothing donations made to a store to be resold for a bargain price creates jobs and is better for the environment. One study showed 2.5 billion pounds of clothing resold in 2006, instead of going to the landfill to be destroyed.
Many charitable donations can be made directly to the store. Most have a designated drop off area for easy parking. If you plan to donate toys or a small amount of gently used clothing you may prefer this option.
Quite a few charitable organizations offer donation pickup services for your convenience. When you have a large donation to make this may be the more agreeable option. Even if you have a small donation, arranging a pick up is fine.
It is found that of the 50% of people who regularly make clothing donations, half would not drive even 10 minutes out of their way to donate. So if you plan to clean out a couple of closets, call and set a pickup time in advance. You will be helping families in need, and give your own family the ability to find thing in their closet again.
It just takes a phone call to arrange a donation. Charitable chain retail stores will have a listing of all their locations with phone numbers on their website, along with more information on how you can help. Do the right thing. Get rid of what you and your family are not using anymore, so you can be helping families in need.