Winter has arrived, meaning brilliant white snow, a slew of fun holidays and…a crowded closet? Yes, it’s not always possible to wait all the way until spring to start clearing out your living spaces when presents start rolling in. Fortunately, donations for military families kills two birds with one stone by recycling gently used clothes or items you don’t want anymore while helping those in need. Look below to learn a little about the clothing industry in America and how easy it is to help those who need it most.

American Clothes Industry

While the first thing that might come to mind when you think of ‘clothes’ is that fashionable boutique at the mall, a large portion of the textile industry works in recycling and refurbishing. Recycling textiles accounts for at least 17,000 jobs throughout the United States and the year 2011 even saw an estimated two million tons of clothing donations overall. Unfortunately, there’s a long way to go with recycling, as an estimated 12 million tons of textile waste are still produced in the U.S. every year!

Why Should You Donate Clothes?

Charitable donations are the backbone of many industries, recycling old materials as well as providing families with affordable and gently used products. This also helps the environment by reducing the amount of landfills throughout the country, which can exacerbate greenhouse gas and negatively affect surrounding animal life. The recovery rate for used clothing and textiles remains at a steady 15% in the U.S. But did you know donating clothes is also incredibly easy?

It’s As Simple As One, Two, Three!

Don’t have time to drop off clothes or unwanted items? No problem! Clothing pick up is a service designed for those with busy schedules, meaning school or work obligations won’t get in the way of early spring cleaning. With easy to follow directions you can call for a local charity to drop by your home and retrieve your gently used products. Donations for military families is a service that helps everybody involved and it’s as easy as a quick phone call. What sweaters or old chairs are you thinking of giving away today?