Recycling clothes

[sheddie]

This weekend I have been to the recycling bins at our local supermarket, it is so easy to take a bag before shopping and I feel like I am giving something to someone less fortunate.

[eleanor2]

hi sheddy it is the best thing to do to recycle everything. i take what i can to a charity shop that sells all sorts of stuff in england to raise money for a christian home in rumania.it has just been built.they are going to take street children as young as three and bring them up in a family atmosphere.there will be workshops to train local youngsters in a trade to.all the clothes given to the shop are packed up and sent over to distribute in the poor villages.on a video i watched little children were standing on frozen ground with no shoes and no coats.

[SummerSkye]

Hi Sheddie, I donate to our local St Vinnie's all the time. One of the volunteers told my husband to throw nothing away, someone has a use for anything! In the fruit season clean glass jars are in big demand there for jam and pickle making. I will be having a huge clearout shortly before we move and I would rather donate the goods than go through the hassle of a garage sale. Don't get me wrong I love garage sales but we are about 50 minutes drive from town and I doubt anyone would come this far.

[Pippa]

I use Freecycle and Charity Shops, or Opportunity Shops (Op.Shp) as the are called in Australia, much nicer name I think, oportunity for everyone. The Hospice Charity Shops seem to be the best to donate to as some of the 'chain charity shops' have gone all up-market. Some friends of mine who volunteer in Charity Shops say they have targets to meet now, I feel they have lost the real reason for Charity Shops.

[Oola]

Does anyone ever get those 'clothing collection' flyers through their door? We must get at least one a week. The thing is I can't help but be skeptical that they're just taking the clothes away to a big warehouse, taking the best ones for themselves and shipping the others off (if at all). We get so many I can't be sure which ones are legitimate and which ones aren't. So inevitably I just take my stuff to the local hospice charity shop. It's sad really that I can't seem to completely trust these people....

[Ivy]

I am very sceptical on recycling clothes as I saw a feature on clothesmarkets in Africa some time ago. A lot of the European clothes get shipped to Africa and are sold on streetmarkets there bringing the local clothes industry to it's knees.Instead of helping it actually makes even more people loose their income. The school my children attended used to collect all sorts of clothes for an orphanage in Roumania but for tax reasons was not allowed to send anything anymore. The red cross used to collect for the homeless but have more than they need and are running out of storage capacity. What I do now I tear the garments apart before I put them into the containers so they can't be sold anymore and get recycled as cleaning cloths etc.

[eleanor2]

thats why its good being involved with an independant charity. no red tape or money used unwisely.they organise all thier own frieght to send all the clothes. they go to a local church who distribute it all. when the home is up and running there is a visitors suite.so people can go and visit and see the work first hand and even help out if they want to.

[Healing Hands]

I recycle mine to my next door neighbour as she works with the homeless, so twice a year I go through my clothes and if I have not worn it or it does not fit anymore which is happening more often then not. then they go to the homeless, shoes and all.

I have a pile for her now, that she will have tomorrow.

[Redstart]

We have a charity collection and they say where and for what purpose the clothes will be used printed on the bags they leave to be filled. We have been told to make sure that information is there, along with the names and logos of the charities, as there were some unscrupulous people making mock charity bags, getting the clothes and selling the decent ones a few years ago. I'm pleased to say they got caught!

I also give good clothes to the local charitable ladies for their charity shop. They use the money they make to organise trips for the elderly and otherwise housebound, or to provide the severaly disabled with food, or organise a concert or a Christmas party in the old people's home. So I don't mind giving to that cause - I or my friends might need it one day. It must be awful sitting within your own four walls with nothing to look forward to and no-one to see and talk to - the charitable ladies do that as well: home visits, taking the elderly out for walks, etc.

[Crocus]

Hi, I donate our clothes to either our local hospice. Also for our local charity shop and our church's "women's society". They distribute these cothes to whoever may need it.

[sheddie]

Having been brought up in the Salvation Army, I nearly always bang their drum for the homeless and less fortunate.

[eleanor2]

at our church we do a display of fesh food.but we bring in to give out unperishables.these we take to our local sally army hostel.