Do you think it is wrong to throw away perfectly good clothes?

Question

I live in an apartment complex where people literal wash clothes then throw them away.

The manager of my apartment complex refuses to do anything. My fiancee and I have donate about 35 bags to Saver's this year.

Answer 1

yes, I do. There are so many people out there that can benefit from perfectly good clothes.

If there's nothing wrong with them and they don't want to benefit from them (sell them by consignment or a rummage sale) then the very least they could do is take them to Good Will or Salvation Army or something similar. If they don't want a tax receipt (which is deductible on income taxes!!! -- although now you have to itemize and make sure the cost/price deducted for each item is reasonable) If they don't want a receipt, they can just be left for the place to sort through them. It's not like they have to be there, most places have designated bins or dumpster looking places to put the donated stuff.

I don't really understand your explanation, it makes it sound like they buy them, wear them once, wash them, then throw them away, or worse, wash them, then throw them away because they didn't fit or something. Geez, I wish I had money to throw away like that.

(You have to remember, if there's nothing wrong with them visually, there may be contaminants, allergies, or some other reason - lice? smoke damage? Things undetectable on the surface) I just can't imagine anyone throwing away perfectly good clothes. It's wasteful. Too lazy to drop them at salvation army? they will even pick them up if you call them!

Answer 2

I wouldn't say it's wrong but it is unwise to throw away clothes.

Something you can do would be to put flyers up around the apartment complex or slip notes into the mail or on your neighbors doors (or hey even talk to them face-to-face!) and accept their old clothes and then take them all down to different organizations.

Try a once-a-month Cookout party/Clothing donation drive!!
Each month you could pick a different organization to donate the clothing to!! (Women's shelters, Goodwill Foundation, Salvation Army, )

At the very least tell them about freecylcing (www.freecycle.org) where people will come and pick up whatever they would otherwise throw away!!

What a shame and a waste!!

Answer 3

I always donate my clothes to the Salvation Army, unless they are in poor condition. The only time I have thrown clothes away is when I was overseas and ran out of room in my suitcase...I tossed a few old t-shirts. I don't understand throwing them away after washing them....you waste clothes and laundry detergent doing that. I guess those people are hoping that homeless people dig through the trash to find clothes.

Answer 4

Yes, I think it is wrong. If you are blessed to have enough money that you can buy clothes and throw them away when you no longer want them, I feel you should at least donate them to Goodwill, or a similar type place. What a shame to have something that someone else has a need for and just throw it away. I think any opportunity to help your fellow man should be embraced.

Answer 5

I think it's inconsiderate to do so. If I were you I would leave a donation box in the building for clothes and shoes and give it to good will. Or go around the building and see if anyone would donate their old clothes to a shelter of the Salvation Army.

Answer 6

Yeah, I think it's wrong. If they don't like them anymore, instead of wasting all of that fabric and the labor put into the clothes, they could ATLEAST donate them!!! Let somebody else buy them, if they are still perfectly fine.

PS: That doesn't make any sense to me. Why woud they just buy the clothes, and then throw them away after one washing???

Answer 7

Ask the landlord if you can put up a donation box for clean clothes, appliances, housewares, etc. Then find a place in your area that accepts them.
I think it's a sin to waste clothes, when so many do without.

Answer 8

Of course I think that is wrong. I have a really big closet full of perfecly good clothes. When I grow out of a shirt or something I put in a bag with the rest of my clothes that I don't want or don't fit me. Then my mom takes them to Good Will. You have to remember not everyone is fortunate enough to have tons of good clothes!!

Answer 9

yes, because there are people that are less fortunate and cant afford the throw away clothes. or even have clothes for that matter. if they dont want them and want to give them away, why not try the Salvation Army or American Red Cross, they can take the clothes and out them to good use. instead of ungratefully people throwing them away.

Answer 10

Yes! donate them! there are people who are in need of perfectly good clothes. I think its sad to throw away something that would mean so much to someone else.