Used Clothing Donations Help Military Families in Need and The Environment

Many Americans choose to shop at stores that provide support for those in need, such as The Military Order of the Purple Heart. On average, people within the United States will purchase ten pounds of previously-owned clothing from charity stores every year. While many do so to specifically assist a worthwhile organization, others do so because it’s considered to be an eco-friendly practice.

Whether people engage in charitable giving to be of benefit to others or the environment, these two reasons are closely linked. As a result, it’s not surprising that 95.4% of Americans continue to participate in charitable acts.

Every day, approximately 4.5 pounds of trash is generated by the average person. This amounts to roughly 1.5 tons of solid waste on an annual basis. The average person also throws out around 82 pounds of textiles. According to research, this amounts to 12 million tons of clothing and textiles combined.

Unfortunately, textiles aren’t recycled as much as they could be. In fact, they are considered to have the poorest recycling rate of any materials that could be reused. While Americans do donate or recycle clothing and household textiles, this just amounts to 15% of the total amount. As previously mentioned, approximately 12 million tons ends up in the country’s landfills.

Some Americans recycle their used clothing. On an annual basis, this amounts to about two million tons. It’s interesting to note, however, that just half of these items are worn again. The remainder is used for these purposes:

• Industrial rags: 30%
• Couch stuffing and home insulation: 20%

It’s more than likely common knowledge that many people in the United States have more outfits than they had, or would have had, in prior decades. In 1930, for example, the average woman in America had nine outfits in her closet. Currently, however, this woman’s modern counterpart has a different outfit for each day of the month. In other words, she has about 30 outfits. While some women may own more or less, this provides an illustration of the amount of clothing that is produced and available for sale in today’s market place.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart accepts charitable donations of clothing. The sale of these clothing donations is used to assist military families and others in need. Once you have collected your clothing donations for The Military Order of the Purple Heart, you have the option of having these items picked up at your place of residence, office, or organization. When convenient, you may also take these to an official drop-off center.