Ways to Give - Used Clothing Collection

What Happens To The Clothes I Donate?

Family Life Outreach works with another organization, Friendship Used Clothing. Their mission is to get all usable clothing and textiles into the hands of people who need them and to eliminate clothing from the solid waste stream.

As soon as our bins are filled, we inform the Friendship Used Clothing Organization that our Collection Shed needs to be emptied. They schedule the pick-up which will take place usually within 24 hours. The material is then taken back to their warehouse, where it is baled into (approximately) one-thousand pound bales. Bales are then loaded into shipping containers and shipped to various locations throughout the world (mostly Third World areas) as well as domestically where it is then distributed to the needy. Locations frequently shipped to include South America, Mexico, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa.

Did you know?

Despite the best efforts of charities and thrift stores, a vast majority of wearable used clothing is still being thrown away and clogging up our landfills. A mere 16% is recovered for reuse, while 84% is ending up as garbage. That translates into millions of tons of clothing being wasted every year. Unfortunately, the recovery rate of textiles is actually growing worse, not better. The United States Environmental Protection Agency cites, "the expansion of waste from clothing and footwear…is producing significant increases in waste."

What are the benefits of textile recovery (recycling)?

According to the U.S. EPA, there are several things that can be effected by merely "gifting" your old clothes vs. just throwing them away.

• Reduces the need for landfill space and incinerators. Textiles present particular problems in landfills as synthetic (man-made fibers) products will not decompose, and while woolen garments do decompose, they produce methane which contributes to global warming.

• Saves energy and raw materials.

• Helps your local economy.

• Improves the standard of living for people in poor countries.

• Removes 2.5 billion pounds of post-consumer textiles from the United States solid waste stream each year.

• Provides clothing and creates jobs for millions of people each year, both in the United States and in impoverished countries.

• Textiles sent overseas aids the U.S. Balance of Trade.

• Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants.

• Conserves resources for our children’s future.

For more information on the Friendship Used Clothing Organization, view their website: www.friendshipusedclothing.com