How To Recycle Old Clothes | One Small Step

The average American throws away 80 lbs of clothing every year — whether you want to resell, donate, or recycle, here's how to get rid of your clothes in an eco-friendly way.

Ever wondered how to recycle clothes? If you've ever wanted to know how to recycle clothing, check out this episode of One Small Step!

Follow Lucy Biggers on her journey as she first visits a thrift store to try and sell some old clothes, then goes to a clothing donation center to donate the clothes that didn't sell; followed by a sorting facility where donated and recycled clothing are sorted and organized; and finally, Lucy talks with Patrick Shaner, a representative of H&M, to chat about H&M's garment collecting program.

If you have a bunch of unwanted garments and you're trying to decide what to do with those old clothes, or what to do with old clothing, then you should consider these options:
1) Try selling your clothes to thrift stores or other resale stores.
2) Donate your clothes to a clothing collection facility.
3) Recycle your clothes through clothing recycling programs like H&M's garment collection program.

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[FRISHR]

“It costs money to get rid of garbage.”

We all need to be aware of that.

[aleenaprasannan]

1. Don't buy any clothing you won't wear for at least 5 years.
2. Just stop trying to keep up with trends
3. A clothing is unusable only when it's either damaged or when you 'grow' out of it.
4. Repurpose damaged clothes. Just make a cloth bag out of it, be creative.
5. Sell/Recycle/Donate
6. Don't gift clothes

[Nicole-ewkl]

I know a girl who told me she never wear the same outfit twice. Shocking to think how much waste is being created because of that and how many young people have the same thinking these days.

[jasrajsinghbhinder]

It's good that recycling of clothes is getting mainstream. But I don't get it : why are people buying so many clothes in the first place??

[wing]

I've been made fun of for having clothes that are 10 years old. I've known people who thinks they can only wear a dress once pictures were taken at a specific event. It's social norms that we need to address, but it does seem like there's been quite a bit of improvements

[Shetasen]

I remember when i was a kid, every Christmas my family would gather with all their old clothes to be hand me downs and thr kids would just sort through the stuff. At the end whatever was left over, we put it in the donation bin or grandmas would take them for rags or rag rugs.

[benzin]

I don't even have 40 garment total. I replace clothes only after old clothes are unusable. I couldn't imagine buying 65 garments a year.

[ZeppinnEU]

H&M having small recycling bins in their store, meanwhile burning 12 tons of unsold jeans a year. Nice

[graced]

the most annoying thing is how hard it is to find basic garments. finding a white t shirt that isn’t see-through is a quest.

[ithacacomments]

I rarely buy clothing. I live in a senior housing apt complex. We have a give-away rack where people leave unwanted clothing items. Being able to pick up clothing here saves me so many

[katyoutnabout]

I’ve been shopping ethically/sustainably for a 3 years now. I have no need to “clean out” my wardrobe anymore. Anything that’s no longer wearable by day, i wear for sleeping. Anything that’s not wearable for sleeping, i turn into cleaning rags and tea towels. So far this year (august now) i’ve bought a pair of jeans, a blouse, and a bra. The blouse happened to be from Pull&Bear, which is a sister brand of Zara. I cannot believe the poor quality anymore. I understand how people get into a cycle of buying cheap.

When you truly change your shopping habits and ideals, there is no longer the need for many of these services mentioned in the video. Finding what to do with clothing waste is not a solution. Please change the way you shop, not what you do after you shop.

[kaysiehesebeck]

@ h&m define “more sustainable materials”

[coltoncardinal]

That's INSANE! I had no clue people just threw their clothes away, and 80lbs a year is crazy. I didn't even know it was a norm to use this many clothes. What I've always done is only buy clothes that I need or really want and give my old clothes to Goodwill or other people, which I rarely have to do since I don't get rid of clothes often.

[breezybre]

i quit fast fashion in April!
Who else quit fast fashion? 🤗🙋🏽‍♀️

[arlh]

I needed a dress for a wedding...I found one at a thrift store for $9...it was brand new with the original $100 price tag still on it. My mom is going to tailor it for me to fit perfectly. 😊

[jennahope]

🤦‍♀️ i was that girl .... i have tons of boxes with 100$ jeans, items with tags, shoes worn once 😫

happy to say ive gone a yr without purchasing.

this video came right on time... 13 boxes and 3 trash bags of gently worn clothes to donate and sell.

[mrfuzztone]

People need to quit buying so many clothes. Need to get off the consumerism treadmill.

[cb]

I don't trust HM promises to recycle old clothes, many articles claim that big part of the textile ends up in trash.
so I recycle my clothes myself (the ones with stains or rips, that can't be given to someone else). if the fabric is still in a good condition, I cut out stains and sew something from the remaining clean areas. like a skirt for my kid from my old dress. also I make ruffles to elongate a skirt or a dress that became too short for my fast growing girl (SAVING MONEY ON NEW CLOTHES). it looks good even if the pattern doesn't match, sometimes even contrasting colors can be paired.
fabrics in really bad condition become rags.

[Wulfnstein]

Or maybe, and this is just a wild idea, but hear me out. Stop buying clothes you don't need. You don't need to change your clothes every season, you don't need a new outfit for every celebration. When buying clothes, get stuff you can wear for years to come, not just for one time occasions. You'll automatically reduce the amount garbage if you don't need to throw it away a week later. But yeah, that's just crazy talk right.

[lionessprowess]

Low self-esteem, human need to fit in, retail therapy, heavy emphasis on image creates: over abundance, anxiety, stress, pollution. 👍🏼 Very relatable to those living in developed nations.