Came looking today on the boards to see if someone had addressed this very topic! Any suggestions for places to accept textile recycling in Virginia? Nova?

Anonymous wrote:There's actually a short video about what they do with such clothes -- they ship them to India and women and children tear them apart to reuse the thread. The bar for "unwearable" is not the same there. On the video these women marvel at what we throw away.

Funny you should say that. I was in India 2 weeks ago and I threw out a camisole that was old and stretched out. That night it was folded neatly in the bathroom. I think they thought it fell in the trash accidentally.

14:17 again. I forgot to add a point that several others had said... but donate the old towels, sheets, blankets, mattress pads, pillows, etc. to animal shelters. Google the one closest to you and you can see their wish/needs list. There is one on East Gude, not too far from the Waste Transfer Station, and they will gladly take your items and give you a tax receipt. Sheets can be torn. The animals are not picky!

I once took towels and sheets to an animal shelter and the person who received them nearly started crying. She said they were nearly out and she was about to go to Goodwill to buy some.

Old clothes are used for building insulation.

Donate everything. The donation recipient can decide if they can use it or not.


Old bedding (sheets, blankets, pillows, comforters) as well as towels can be donated to animal shelters. Just wash them before you donate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every nonprofit wants gently used clothing/shoes, which I totally understand.

But what about the not-so-gently used ones? My kids' shoes are worn looking, but still functional. They've just outgrown them. I hesitate to throw them into landfill, but don't know what else to do with them. Same for clothes, towels, bed sheets. They don't have holes, but they do look a bit worn. Where can I donate these types of no-so-gently used items, or is it only fit for the landfill? I'm in MoCo. TIA.

Most running stores will take the shoes. The shoes that are good enough to be worn again will be re-used. The others will be "ground up" to make a pour and play playground surface. Fleet Feet in Gaithersburg definitely takes them. I think RnJ in Rockville does, too.

Textiles that can't be re-worn (underwear, socks, or things just in subpar condition) can be recycled at the waste transfer station in Rockville/Derwood on 355.

OP here. This is really good to know. I throw outgrown underwear/socks but sometimes think "what a waste". I know, it's weird, but I grew up low income, and my parents even lower income, and wasting was bad. Good to know they can recycle them. I'll take them to the Transfer station.

Nike stores (I know for certain Nike Outlets) have a donation bin for shoes.

Every larger charity like Goodwill and Sal Army routinely sort all donations with those judged as unwearable to be baled and sold off to third party recyclers or as PP said, sent on container ship overseas.

Don't toss - donate.

Anonymous wrote:Every nonprofit wants gently used clothing/shoes, which I totally understand.

But what about the not-so-gently used ones? My kids' shoes are worn looking, but still functional. They've just outgrown them. I hesitate to throw them into landfill, but don't know what else to do with them. Same for clothes, towels, bed sheets. They don't have holes, but they do look a bit worn. Where can I donate these types of no-so-gently used items, or is it only fit for the landfill? I'm in MoCo. TIA.

Most running stores will take the shoes. The shoes that are good enough to be worn again will be re-used. The others will be "ground up" to make a pour and play playground surface. Fleet Feet in Gaithersburg definitely takes them. I think RnJ in Rockville does, too.

Textiles that can't be re-worn (underwear, socks, or things just in subpar condition) can be recycled at the waste transfer station in Rockville/Derwood on 355.

Anonymous wrote:My friend owns a company that operates many of the donation bins. Shoes in any condition are welcome. He sells them by the container-ful to Africa, then the proceeds go to charity.

Which ones specifically? I see clothing/shoe bins dotted around... gas stations, large parking lots. Any of them?

My friend owns a company that operates many of the donation bins. Shoes in any condition are welcome. He sells them by the container-ful to Africa, then the proceeds go to charity.

There's actually a short video about what they do with such clothes -- they ship them to India and women and children tear them apart to reuse the thread. The bar for "unwearable" is not the same there. On the video these women marvel at what we throw away.

Donate them - some of the bigger companies like goodwill donate them or sell them.

If really unwearable/ unsuitable for resale you can drop them off at the vMoCo transfer station which has a recycling collection specifically for textiles.

Anonymous wrote:Every nonprofit wants gently used clothing/shoes, which I totally understand.

But what about the not-so-gently used ones? My kids' shoes are worn looking, but still functional. They've just outgrown them. I hesitate to throw them into landfill, but don't know what else to do with them. Same for clothes, towels, bed sheets. They don't have holes, but they do look a bit worn. Where can I donate these types of no-so-gently used items, or is it only fit for the landfill? I'm in MoCo. TIA.

Shoe Train in Cabin John Mall has a shoe donation bin for shoes that go to Africa.

If clothes are wearable, then you can donate them. If towels and bedsheets don't have holes (or gross stains) then you can donate those too.

Towels, sheets and blankets can go to an animal shelter.

Every nonprofit wants gently used clothing/shoes, which I totally understand.

But what about the not-so-gently used ones? My kids' shoes are worn looking, but still functional. They've just outgrown them. I hesitate to throw them into landfill, but don't know what else to do with them. Same for clothes, towels, bed sheets. They don't have holes, but they do look a bit worn. Where can I donate these types of no-so-gently used items, or is it only fit for the landfill? I'm in MoCo. TIA.