The textile industry stands as one of the biggest in the world, and in the United States alone, according to the Council for Textile Recycling, 25 billion pounds of new clothes are made each and every year. Food, too, is massive, such as fruit orchards, corn fields, dairy farms, and livestock, but even today, millions of people go hungry, and others do not have adequate clothing, and often in the United States, it is veterans in need and those living poverty who need these things the most. Charity drives and organizations can fight back against this inequality, and donation pick up can ensure that veterans and impoverished families get what they need.

The Numbers of Waste

Not everything that is produced ends up being used, and a lot gets thrown away every year. For example, two million tons of used clothing is recycled annually by Americans, but under half of it ends up with new owners. Instead, 30% is merely cut up for industrial rags, and another 20% is shredded to be used as couch stuffing and home insulation. And each year, the average American will discard 82 pounds of textile waste. Overall, it is believed that among the 25 billion pounds of new clothes made annually, 85% of it will find itself in a landfill instead of being useful elsewhere. Finally, in the year 2011, an estimated 15.3% of clothes and textiles discard in the United States was recovered for later use, with the rest ending up in landfills or shredded for industrial use.

Giving Back

Despite this waste, continued efforts are being made to provide for needy veterans and families across the United States, and donation pick up is merely one step of all this. Already, a sizeable portion of Americans donate old clothes, and plenty of textiles do end up in the right hands, and if donations were to increase among the general American population, military charities for veterans could easily find use for them. Estimates show that among all clothes given away by Americans, 80% of that donated clothing is used by charitable organizations or else used for funding. Organizations that accept clothing donations and organizations that help military families could always use more, and more and more clothes could be diverted from going to landfills (which also helps reduce landfill growth) and more families can be helped.

There is plenty that American citizens can do to help. Anyone who has old and unwanted clothes can gather them and find out where the nearest donation pick up site is, often by searching for it online or calling or emailing local charities to get the address for donation pick up sites. Any other guidelines for donations such as quantity or types of clothes, or best times for drop offs, can be obtained by contacting these organizations. Often, just performing an Internet search for “Where can I donate clothes?” should be enough. It is far from an obscure industry, so any search engine should find organization names and donation pick up sites right away. Entering these addresses into a smart phone’s map apps, if needed, can guide a charitable citizen to the donation drop off site.