Giving Donations to Non-Profit Organizations Could Help Save the Planet Here’s Why!

Each year, the average person in the United States throws away approximately 68 pounds of clothing and textiles, adding up to a total of 12 to 13 million tons of clothing headed to landfills. When you add in the number of discarded household appliances, furniture items, electronics, and other consumer goods, we waste far more than we should. Meanwhile, other families in the U.S. and throughout the world have trouble making ends meet and can’t afford necessary clothing and household items. Our landfills are filling up, but there are so many people who are going without.

However, there is a clear solution that you can use the next time you clean out your home: gather donations for non profit organizations in your area. Giving your used clothing donations and other goods to charity organizations is a great way to benefit others and divert waste from landfills.

What happens to these donations for non profit organizations once you’ve given them? Here are some of the most common uses for household goods and clothing donations:

Helping Families in Need
Many donations go directly to those who need them, and there are a variety of different causes you can donate to. Some charities seek to impact the lives of children, specifically; others may help military veterans, the homeless, or victims of domestic violence. No matter whom you’re trying to help, there is sure to be a cause worth donating to in your region.

Benefiting Secondhand/Charity Shops
Donations for non profit organizations that aren’t given directly to the needy are often passed on to secondhand shops, where they are sold for low prices. This benefits charities in two ways. For one, it earns them revenue from the clothing sales. It also helps charitable organizations increase their funds, so they can continue helping out in their communities.

Recycling
As most people know, one of the best ways to keep waste out of landfills is to donate to charity. However, there are also organizations that accept clothing in order to recycle it. New technology has made it possible to break textiles down to the smallest fibers to create new fabrics. Clothing donations that are not considered reusable are often turned over to recycling companies. This recycling process also curbs the need for more new clothing to be created in factories (which can contribute to pollution).

Next time you clean out your closet, take the facts into consideration: clothing and textiles account for at least 5% of waste in the U.S., and unfortunately, not all of it gets reclaimed. However, up to 99% of those textiles can be reused. If you have clothing or household goods that you no longer need, consider donating to charity instead.

Have you helped contribute to your community? Tell us how you’ve helped charity organizations — and the planet — in the comments. More on this.