How can I properly dispose of old and damaged clothing?

Question

How can I properly dispose of old and damaged clothing?

I have several garbage bags filled with clothing which I have been storing in my basement for years. Over time the bags have gotten ripped and clothes have been laying on the damp and dirty floor. This clothing can never be worn again. I can not give them to charity because of their obvious condition but I need to clean out my basement. If I throw them out with the trash then they will be cluttering up our already over crowded landfills and I don't want to do that. Is there a place I can take them to that will dispose of them properly? Has anyone encountered this problem? If so what did you do?

Answer 1

burn them or toss them.

Answer 2

give it to salvation army. WHat is old and damaged to you might be the best thing to wear for some poor people.

Answer 3

where we live we have a recycle bin for rags,clothes etc see if there is one up your way. or near by.

Answer 4

Depending where you live the salvation army will buy the clothes from you. Also you can donate clothes to a local church or homeless shelter, and at the end of the year you get a tax break! Good luck!

Answer 5

Find one of the bins located in service stations of shopping centers where clothing is collected.  It is sold as rags so the condition doesn't matter.  The charity that owns the bin gets the proceeds from the sale.

On the other side - never ut good, wearable clothing in one of these bins for the same reason!

Answer 6

here are some ideas:

1. cut up and make a quilt.

2. use as cleaning rags

3. sew a large sack, fill with clothes, and use as dog bed

4. donate to be ground up and turned into carpet padding

5. use as scrap material

6. use to patch up rips in your kids jeans and stuff

7. if there are any jeans, you can make a jeans tote bag

8.  sock puppetry

9. make into dog chew toys by knotting

10. cut into shreds and use as handy ties for things such as: tying bouquets, tying ponytails, braiding into braids, tying tomato vine to a stick

hope i helped

Answer 7

What you can do with torn up clothing is use them for your garden.

Plant some seedlings and after they gotten taller, place the clothing around the plants. This will prevent weeds from getting through and will allow only the chosen plants to grow.

Also, you can cut off sleeves and pant-legs. Tie off one end, and when you have a vine plant with a heavy fruit (melons, especially), you can place the fruit in there while it is small and hang up the clothing. This will keep the fruit supported, so it won't fall off the vine before getting to a good size.

Answer 8

Burn them.

Answer 9

you can always burn them if you have a yard or an old barrel.

Answer 10

Items that soiled and smelly goes to landfill.  Material WILL rot and not truly be part of the landfill problem.

Answer 11

You can also call your local "Sally Ann" and they will be able to advise you on who to call because they always have to get rid of clothing not fit to wear.