Where Your Donated Clothes Actually End Up

The Numbers That Changed How I Think About Donating

I used to think donating clothes was simple: I drop them off, someone in need picks them up, everyone wins. Then I dug into the data. What I found completely changed my perspective.

That last number is worth sitting with. Seventeen million tons of textile waste in the US alone, every single year. According to the EPA, that's 5.8% of all municipal solid waste. And it's growing.

The Journey of Your Donated Sweater

Let's follow a single sweater from your closet to its final destination. The path is more complicated than most of us realize.

Here's what that means: for every bag of clothes you donate, only about 15 items out of 100 will actually be purchased by someone in your community. The rest? Roughly 30 get bundled up and shipped overseas (often to countries like Kenya, Ghana, and Pakistan), while 55 end up in landfills or get incinerated.

This isn't meant to discourage you from donating. It's still better than throwing clothes in the trash directly. But understanding the full picture helps us make smarter choices.

Why Are We Drowning in Clothes?

The math is simple but staggering. Americans buy an average of 53 pieces of clothing per year. That's four times more than we bought in 2000, according to the Public Interest Research Group. Meanwhile, we're wearing each item 50% less than we did 15 years ago.

Fast fashion has trained us to treat clothes as disposable. A $5 t-shirt doesn't feel precious. A trendy top that's "so last season" after three months doesn't inspire loyalty. And when clothes are this cheap, donation centers get overwhelmed with more inventory than they can possibly sell.

Organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army receive nearly 6 billion pounds of donations annually. Even with thousands of stores, they simply can't sell it all locally.

The Complicated Reality of Overseas Exports

About 700,000 tons of used clothing gets exported from the US every year. These items travel to "bend down" markets in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, where customers literally bend down to pick through clothing piled on the ground.

This has created a complex situation. On one hand, it provides affordable clothing to people who need it. On the other, it's devastating local textile industries. Countries like Uganda enacted import bans in 2023 to protect local businesses, and Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi have sought similar restrictions.

How to Make Your Donations Count

This isn't about feeling guilty. It's about being strategic. Here's how to maximize the impact of your clothing donations:

The Bottom Line

Donating clothes is still better than throwing them away. It's still better than letting them sit in your closet. But understanding where they actually end up helps us make more intentional choices, both about what we donate and what we buy in the first place.

The next time you're about to click "add to cart" on a trendy piece you'll wear twice, remember: there's a good chance it'll end up in a landfill in Ghana. And the next time you donate, choose organizations that specialize in what you're giving.

Every item you donate thoughtfully, every purchase you skip, every piece you repair instead of replace... it all adds up. The data tells us we have a problem. But it also shows us exactly where we can make a difference.