Where to Recycle Old Worn Clothes? – 3 Reason Why You Should

Where to recycle old clothes or company shirts? I found myself looking for places to donate my job’s off-brand t-shirts to recycle. We changed our logo and no longer needed these shirts anymore. Since they are company brand, it is not usually recommended to donate it to your local thrift stores because they are a tough thing to resell. That goes for worn out clothing as well. Many who go to Value Village or your local thrift stores are not looking to buy a company t-shirt with someone else’s logo on it. That is when it hit me and I realize that I am probably not the only one who has this problem.

First, I want to share with you why we shouldn’t throw clothes away? Here is three important reason to keep in mind.

3 Reason Why You Should Recycle Clothes:

1. Clothes release toxic gas in Landfills

I learned that clothes and even your old worn out rags release toxic gas when they decompose in landfills. Even though they shouldn’t be in the landfills in the first place, it still decomposes but not without leaving a toxic gas. Recycling them saves that toxic gas from releasing into the air.

2. Uses A Ton of Water & Energy

It is not crazy to know that it takes up to 1,800 gallons of water just to make a pair of jeans. So instead of sharing that drinking water that could have been for someone, it is making us some jeans. Not to mention that the energy alone to make jeans is more than you leaving your lighting up your own home all night long. That is insane! You might want to take another look at your jeans in your closet before buying a new pair.

3. Even if it Doesn’t Look Good Enough to Donate. It Can be Recycled!

Where to Recycle Old Worn Clothes?

If you have ever gotten an event t-shirt that you no longer want to keep, old company tee or have some worn out clothing in your closet then you are in the same boat as I am. However, you don’t have to look too far to find a place to recycle or donate. I looked into some great companies who don’t care the state that your clothing is or if it has a million logos on it. They simply will accept it.

H&M

This company is the forefront of really making this recycling of clothes and fabrics into a cool thing not just for Millenials but for everyone. I heard about this strive to do this when I went to the Green Living Expo in 2015. For a place, I never really considered shopping at, this company make me really look twice. They are making a big splash in the clothes recycling system. Check out their site about what they do with your old clothes and bring yours to any H&M around the world and you get a reward for doing so.

American Eagle

Following in H&M’s footsteps, you can also bring your worn, old clothing to American Eagle and in return, you get a $5 off coupon off jeans. They are not only allowing you to bring in your clothing but also getting into the eco-friendly fever but being considerate about their cardboard boxes and lights to all stores. Check out all the great things they are doing here.

I:CO

I:CO is short for I Collect. This the company that makes all this happen for the two stores I have mentioned above plus more stores. I wanted to make sure I took a second to tell you about them because they work with many other companies out there. So, if you don’t shop at H&M or even American Eagle then you can look up some of there other stores that they have. They make is very simple, you go to the store and either hand over your bag of unwanted clothing or drop it into a box that the store has provided. They are a pretty fantastic company consider if you run a store or just want to donate. Check out some of the other stores they partner with here.

Final Thoughts

Recycling is not something hard to do and we should do our parts. If you personally did not see the value to recycling your clothing or fabric scraps then I hope this post helped you rethink. It really does make a difference when we take the moment to adjust our lives for the better. It’s simple to drop a bag off of things you don’t want. I recommend checking out my post about – Sell Your Stuff Canada & Make Money!

I took a pledge at the green living expo with Greenpeace, this year to reduce my plastic in my home and life. I do this anyways but thought to pledge it loud and proud (aka signing my name) really makes it concrete. This is by no means a sponsored post but a company that I think is on the right track to make a difference. Did you know? Every year, up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans. That’s the equivalent of a truckload every minute! Greenpeace is campaigning to stop this, and I’ve pledged to help out in any way I can. Will you join me? Here’s the link.

For more about eco-friendly things you can do in your life – check my post – 5 Zero Waste Ideas for Green Living Beginners.