Tracking your donated clothes 

Donate your towels and blankets to a veterinary clinic or pet rescue. They really need them.

Donate your towels to your local vet or animal shelter.

We need to remember what our grandparents did: patch things, bring shoes to cobblers to repair soles and heels, darn socks, rip old t shirts and towels into cleaning rags rather than buying microfiber cleaning cloths… “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” was something I heard a lot growing up LOL

Why aren't talking about the manufacturers producing all this crap! This is a problem caused by Amazon, Shein and other big mass-production companies.

Dude I am not paying to donate clothes. I will use them as fire wood first,

I'm not paying to donate clothes

Part of the problem is people are allergic to buying second hand clothes. Theres nothing wrong with it, and your helping the environment, plus your getting nice clothes too!😊

Maybe the news anchors can wear uniforms like flight attendants do, that could certainly help. Princess Catherine of Wales wears some of the same outfits for different occasions.

Who believes her that she hasn't bought new clothes in 2 years?

"There is too much clothing in the world" - said by someone that has a brand new outfit every time they're on TV 😂

I am not sure that I understand. Goodwill keeps continuing to raise prices on their clothing, but yet you are reporting that tons of their clothes end up in land fills. That is a problem. If the cost was lower like it used to be on these used items, then I know that more people would buy them, possibly keeping them out of the landfill for a bit longer. Also, being from the most eroded county in the nation back in the Dust Bowl days, I can tell you that they used clothing to catch the erosion in the gullies to prevent more washing away of soil. I think we need to go back and look at this again to help us use our old resources, to save our resources.

These “news” shows are all the same. It’s Earth week so let’s do something on fast fashion! Within the next few weeks I bet I’ll see a segment on the hottest spring trends. Don’t cover the Hollywood red carpet events and ask the stars what are you wearing, don’t have segments on the deal of the day offering heavy discounts on items and clothing. Better yet, let’s see the news anchors repeat a suit or outfit every now and then. You all are the problem!

Look for small thrift shops. Our local fire department has a thrift shop that sells donations to purchase stuff for the fire department.

Buy quality clothing and natural fabric, it last longer and save more money in long term. Fast fashion is fast trash. From personal experience and families and friends experience.

Clothing swaps are another option, I’ve been to a few and it’s a great way to refresh your wardrobe.

The owners of the donation centers grade and them resell all the items. It's a million dollar business. Most are rich.

Why doesn't anyone check these graphics before production is finalized? The graphic at 1:18 should say 1.7 "billion" pounds, not 1.7 "trillion." Whoops.

I still have clothes from years ago 😅😅

$20 a bag? Yikes!

I look at the woman with the towel- why aren't you still using it?? I use my towels for years- of course washing and keeping them clean- then I cut them up for rags. Oh, you don't like the color? You are adding to the problem miss.

Remember when the 49ers won the Superbowl? Or when Purdue put on the championship hats? Me neither, but some guy in Kenya is wearing a brand new championship shirt, hat, or Florida Panthers scarf. The US is obsessed with consumerism.

Goodwill will rotate all of the clothes that aren't sold between different Goodwill stores. We use a color coded system. Everyday, we have different colored tags to pull. Then, those clothes are sent to another Goodwill store. But,yes, I'm sure a lot of clothes do eventually end up in a landfill. Also, a lot of people just throw their old clothes away rather than donate.

My grandparents can’t wrap their head around why people constantly buy new clothes when nothing is wrong with the ones they have…. I took a page out of their book and just wear what I have.

I barely EVER buy clothes! Not until I'm forced too. I truly don't understand nor can I afford to go buy clothes for fun.

I get my clothes at the thrift shop I get my blanket and I go to rummage sale too and garage sale i get all my stuff used as I am low income

Instead of giving to goodwill , donate to homeless on the street

Me paying $20 for that 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣. Nope

I was telling my husband the other day what it used to be like to go into a real fabric store where you could buy everything from wool suiting to silk for a wedding dress. Now it's simply too expensive for most people to sew, and many of the clothes even in stores like Dillards seem like chintzy (pun intended) shadows of what quality clothes used to be. Back then you could buy a classic-style wool skirt and literally wear it for decades.

Donate to local thrift shops, big places ship them overseas for profit, nothing new.

Why are you donating used underwear?!? Trash that

Now, they use a lot pf plastics to mail them to the facility. Temu & Shine make the problem worse. I have not bought any clothes at least 15-20 years. I get most from friends & Neighborhood Buy Nothing Group.

Join your local Buy Nothing group. My group has style bags in 4 different sizes. We use big IKEA bags and about 20 women are in a queue in each size range. We pick up the bags from one person’s house, take items we like from the bags and gift items we want to pass along. We have been doing this for about 4 years and I have a practically new wardrobe that I didn’t have to buy. I have bought a few pieces here and there but for the most part I haven’t gone clothes shopping in about 4 years.

This blows my mind. It is so rare that I buy new clothes. If I bought five new items in a year, I’d be shocked.

I haven't ever donated clothes because I always wear them until they are worn out. I buy mostly at Costco or REI and wear and wear and wear until one day they go in the garage in the rag bin. Rags are used for everything but eventually they are thrown into the garbage. BTW, I spend about $400 per year on clothing or a little over a dollar a day. That includes shoes, hiking boots, belts, orthotics, sporting equip, jackets, hats, etc.

I use to work as a pickup driver for a donation store. From what I recall, clothes that did not look appealing enough to put out or did not sell were put in a bailer and sold for two cents a pound. The buyer turned the cloth into rags. I assume those pink rags you can buy at the auto part store.

Goodwill is expensive. It's cheaper to buy new. And since most people are now selling their high end clothes, the 2nd hand stores aren't getting good stuff anymore.

Thank you GMA for raising awareness of this issue!

Many years ago my friends mom worked at a goodwill type place that received donations. She would remove the fancy expensive items and re-sell them online for a profit. That family made a lot of money doing this for many years and I'm sure it wasn't an isolated incident. 😬

First you wear them out, then around the house. then for yard work, and finally they become car and cleaning rags. Then you trash 'em. Problem solved.

I make 65% of my clothes, 85% of my daughter’s, & 15% of my husband’s. Every year I hope to increase each number. My goal is 90-95%. I sew & crochet the clothing. I love upcycling our old clothing. The pride, quality, & love are the reason I do it. I get compliments on my daughter’s clothes all the time & she will have a nice stash for her kids one day.

Or i go to a discount store that they get liquidated like when Walmart has a bunch of stuff

Stop buying new and buy at thrift stores like Goodwill. I just bought a Ralph Lauren dress for work and another $100 dress for a wedding for only $8 each. I think they were donated because they were labled as a size 12, but fit more an 8. I also sell stuff on Poshmark and Thredup. I donate to goodwill, but there's a lot of things they don't take like bedding.

Unfortunately these clothing bins turn wherever they are into the town landfill with all the none clothing items that people put outside of them. I've known several businesses and churches who has had them removed to keep the trash off the property.

i give a lot of worn out linens, clothes, etc... to local animal shelter, which can always use them

We once bought a house that was built in 1928. The closets were 3 feet wide and one foot deep with hooks across the back. The closet in my present house is 7 x 8 feet - not that big by the standards of today's newer houses. My 80 year old aunt used to say that her clothes were so old they were made in the USA. Everyone wants to be in "style," but there really is no style.

70 pieces of clothing a year? 😅

I've gone years without buying new clothes. I'm poor though 😂 it's not by choice.

I haven’t bought 40 clothing items in the last forty YEARS!!!

Towels can be donated to animal shelters, you can find places to donate to, but it takes some work. You don't have to pay to send it somewhere. Selling on ebay etc. Is a way to get clothing to people who might not be able to get to a thrift store...

Used clothing is a massive business in Bolivia. In Chile it’s destroyed because most of it comes in illegally and competes with local manufacturing.

I always wondered where the clothes go, I always donate clean/sometimes brand new clothes, I hate to see them throw the bags on the floor, like it's trash, I'm not paying any $$ to donate, I just donate now to local churches where I know the clothes get to the needed family quickly!

I never shop for new clothes because I stop growing. I still keep my old clothes because it gives me motivation to lose weight after I give birth and I am aiming for the body I have before. Also, the clothes I bought are good quality and my daughters are borrowing it sometimes because they fit my old clothes when I was single. If I get bored with the style of my clothes. I have a sewing machine. I add some style to it because I don't like to waste my money and add my clothes to the landfill 😢. Nowadays people want too much material in their life and keep buying stuff that they don't really need. They are buying it to show off and to fit in. But they never think that soon the earth will be filled with waste and trash if we don't contribute to help minimizing our trash and not recycling. It's basic that we are all facing these consequences. I hope the parents teach their kids to help save the earth.

I was a semi driver and I picked up a trailer load of clothes in Kentucky and took them to a warehouse in California. I don’t know what happened to them after that but the place was full.

I only allow myself to buy 4 pieces of new clothing a year the rest is 2nd hand. Its so fun.

I normally find somebody who needs the clothes if I have clothes to donate I always like buying all new stuff and I really like giving away all my old stuff if it's still in decent shape I don't give away rags sometimes I go to the church and other times I go to the Goodwill but everybody that can afford it should donate all their clothes that they can because people that can't afford them really need them

Buy quality clothing that you love, pay more, but wear it longer. Instead of buying acrylic and poly, get wool, cottons, linens. These are fibers that are recyclable and biodegradable. Learn to sew, you will get clothing that fits and you can choose the design and fiber content. Learn how to iron. I see so many new clothes donated that are cotton, like a shirt, and because it was wrinkled, it was never worn again. That kind of clothing requires care, so learn how to do laundry properly. When you buy T-shirts, get the heavier weight, Gildan is the perfect brand for this. The don't wash out to weird shapes and you can abuse them, they only get softer and better. Learn how to remove stains also. If you spend the money, you actually save. You don't need 1,000 items in your closet. Also, buy clothing that fits and that you are comfortable in. If you are not comfortable, you won't wear it. Polyester and Acrylic are plastic, they are not comfortable, they are the biggest polluters. It takes oil to make those and they never biodegrade.

I know someone using thrown away children's underwear as mechanic rags etc. one time they were being thrown on top of a roof for a job and got caught in a tree. imagine seeing that randomly without context

Paying someone to sell your clothes 😵‍💫 wow 🤯

I'm not ever paying to get rid of my trash and I won't donate it either!

This is why recycling doesn't work,you have to pay to recycle..

I am not going to pay to donate stuff! Come on.

They also sell it as rags

How does the widget “Benny” work? How do I find it?

I compost my old clothes. Nothing is wasted.

Buy something that has “ a LOT of cost PER WEAR.”??? She’s NUTS!!!!!!!

I very rarely buy any brand new clothes except socks,undies and shoes. I shop for used clothes and some deep discount clearance,I am not a fashion person but I still have way too many clothes. I think that Americans are used to seeing a piece of clothes and think ‘that’s cute’ and buy it . The item is brought home and it ends up not being as cute as we thought and in 6 months we don’t want it.

this is why i feel no shame snagging up items left right outside the bins and selling the better items at swap meets for $1/item.

Its sad but honestly, if you're really looking to donate clothing, you're better off personally giving it to someone or bringing it to a shelter. I've never trusted those bins.

For an adult, even 40 items per year seems excessive. We need to get our act together.

Donate to a local charity.

Hard to believe that the average person purchases 70 piece of new clothing a year. I have purchased two new items in the last five years. Just stay out of the stores and it is easy.

Sending those clothes to South east Asia will make a lot of money, US thinks those are trashy but for the third world countries can make a lot of money😂

We need to track all clothes!

Buy on Mercari!

Once you donate something it's going to anybody that gets it first.😂

Hell I’ve been wearing the same clothes over a decade ,the only thing I wear out the most is socks and underwear or shoes. A lot of pp waste money keeping up what’s popular and trends

All my used clothes go to camp fires I have every month

Those bins ruin clothes. Fold them and donate to a shelter, sell, trade, church etc. Good fabric can be used for crafts. Quality is often so low now, don't buy.

The donated clothes don’t go to the homeless or poverty countries that absolutely are in need of clothes !

I’m happy to sayI am WAY below the average. I bought three new blouses this year - the first I bought in a few years and a few t-shirts. I haven’t bought new shoes in several years. It’s not so much that I don’t want to but it’s because most of the clothing that’s affordable is cr@p! I hate synthetic fabrics. The boys and men’s clothing area has plenty of cotton items but not the women’s. I suppose if I shopped high end stores it would be different but I’m not going to spend $50 for a t-shirt and $85+ for a blouse. I’m retired and live in the boonies (plus I’m practically a recluse) so I don’t need dressy clothing.

its doesnt even appear that the center is even looking in the bags and sorting damaged clothing????? i dont see why they dont burn those for energy, or shred for blown in insulation?

Pay to donate? First consider church closets, school closets and women’s shelters for slightly worn, in good condition clothes.❤

And here I thought that some of the clothes actually goes to those in need SMH

I am the same..,no new clothes for over 2yrs! Whats the point? Didn't the pandemic teach us anything? It sure did for me

Where do they get this information? I haven’t bought 40 articles of clothing a year ever in my life.

they are shipped to 3rd word countries. several of them have said stop sending clothes there as it takes money from the local businesses

Exactly stop excessive production. Vote with your $

Or you could always flip inside out and wear them 😲

I put that shit on eBay all day long.. I wait for people to drop off and then I swoop in.. 😂😂😂

I give clothing still wearable to Salvation Army or give freein one of the FB buy nothing groups for my area because Goodwill charges too much and refuses to sell at the rate the clothing is sold overseas . I wont support that . Only give clean items in good condition to those who help others without charging for the items !

Why can’t we recycle it and reuse fabric like we do with plastic 🤷‍♂️

Like Celebrities and Newscasters, I can't be seen wearing the same thing twice.

Wait, what, I pay to donate!

Blame the people who keeps on buying them, my clothes can all fit in 3 storage boxes and my sister’s like 6-8 storage boxes, more than half hasn’t been worn in over 1 year.

Quality means $600 for a garment ?

I only donate to local charities

El Paso 🎉

Ginger gurlll we know you still buying maybe second but in the high end setting cause on GMA we know you ladies got glam crew and all that

She NEVER TRACKED ANYTHING!!!!!!

Takes 200 years for the earth to disappear in the landfill