skip navigation
home» for residents» materials by name» clothing

Clothing

Did You Know?
Textiles represent over 3 percent of the waste stream; you can reduce the amount of good usable clothing in the waste stream by donating your unwanted items.
Donating used clothing helps others in need. It is an effective way to reduce the volume of textiles in the waste stream. Also, buying clothing from a resale shop or a garage sale is an inexpensive way to dress well and look great.

Reuse Tips

  • Consignment shops accept items from the public and sell them for you. Consignment shop items are generally priced at 25-50 percent of the new retail price.
  • Hold a garage sale or donate to a community sale.
  • List on the Twin Cities Free Market Website. It is a great way to give or get free stuff.

Recycling & Disposal Information

When clothing is donated, generally the best material is pulled out, and sold or given away. The remaining clothing is baled and sold to a broker who sorts it into four groups:

  1. Warm-weather clothing and shoes for underdeveloped countries;
  2. Cotton materials which are recycled into rags;
  3. Textiles ground into padding; and
  4. Wool and silk for sale to textile manufacturers.

 

The result is that 100 percent of the textiles donated are reused.

Anoka County has a downloadable Shop Used First Guide and Hennepin County offers a Choose to Use Directory where you can find listings of places to shop second-hand.

For more information on donating used clothing or where to buy used clothing, contact your county by clicking on the links at right.