What to Do with Old Clothes You Can't Donate

You have gone through your closet, pulled out everything you no longer wear, and sorted it into two piles: clothes that are still wearable and clothes that are not. The wearable pile heads to Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul. But what about the stained t-shirts, the jeans with blown-out knees, the socks with holes, and the underwear that no one wants? That pile usually ends up in the trash.

It does not have to. The vast majority of textiles, even heavily worn ones, can be recycled or repurposed. Here is what to do with clothes that have moved past their donation days.

Option 1: Textile Recycling Programs

Textile recycling is an industry that processes worn-out clothing into new materials. Unlike donation, textile recyclers accept clothes in any condition because they are not reselling them as clothing. Instead, the fibers are sorted, shredded, and transformed into new products.

How Textile Recycling Works

1. Sorting: Clothes are sorted by fiber type (cotton, polyester, wool, blends) and color
2. Processing: Textiles are shredded into fibers, then cleaned and processed
3. New products: Recycled fibers become insulation, industrial rags, carpet padding, new yarn, or filling material

What Textile Recyclers Accept

• Stained or torn clothing
• Single socks and mismatched pairs
• Worn-out underwear and undergarments
• Faded, stretched, or shrunken items
• Old towels and linens in any condition
• Shoes (even worn out, paired together)

Option 2: Retail Take-Back Programs

Several major retailers operate clothing recycling programs at their stores. These programs accept clothing from any brand in any condition.

• H&M — Accepts bags of unwanted clothing (any brand, any condition) at all stores. Locations in Portland-area malls. You receive a discount coupon in return.
• The North Face — Their Clothes the Loop program accepts any brand of clothing or footwear at North Face stores. Portland and Eugene locations.
• Patagonia — Accepts Patagonia-brand items for recycling. Portland store location.
• Nike — Nike Grind program accepts worn-out athletic shoes (any brand) at Nike and Converse stores. Portland-area locations including the Nike Employee Store.
• Madewell — Accepts old jeans (any brand) for recycling into housing insulation through their Blue Jeans Go Green program.

Retail take-back programs are convenient because you can drop off worn-out clothes during a regular shopping trip. No appointment needed, and most stores have a clearly marked collection bin.

Option 3: Repurpose at Home

Before recycling or tossing old clothes, consider whether they have a second life in your household:

• Cleaning rags: Old t-shirts make excellent cleaning and dusting rags. Cotton is absorbent and lint-free when washed a few times. Cut them to a useful size and keep a supply under the sink.
• Car and garage rags: Old towels and sweatshirts are perfect for wiping down tools, cleaning up spills in the garage, and drying off the car after washing.
• Pet bedding: Old blankets, towels, and soft clothes can line pet beds or crates. Animal shelters in Oregon also accept clean, soft textiles for bedding.
• Moving and packing material: Wrap fragile items in old clothes when packing for a move. Saves money on bubble wrap and packing paper.
• Garden use: Old t-shirts can be cut into strips and used as plant ties. Worn-out jeans make durable garden kneeling pads.
• Craft projects: Quilting, rag rugs, braided rugs, and other textile crafts can use worn-out fabrics. Oregon has an active crafting community with groups that welcome donated fabric scraps.

Option 4: Clothing Recycling Bins

You have probably seen those large metal or plastic bins in parking lots labeled for clothing donations. While many are run by charitable organizations for resale, some specifically handle textile recycling. Even bins operated by charities often sort out unsellable items and send them to textile recyclers rather than the landfill.

When using clothing bins in Oregon:

• Place clothes in a sealed bag to keep them dry (Oregon rain is a factor)
• Do not leave items outside the bin if it is full, as this creates litter
• Check that the bin is maintained and regularly emptied. Abandoned bins may not be serviced.
• Both donatable and non-donatable clothes can go in, as they will be sorted

Option 5: Compost Natural Fibers

Clothing made from 100 percent natural fibers can be composted:

• Cotton — Pure cotton t-shirts, jeans, and towels will break down in a compost pile. Cut them into small pieces first.
• Linen — Linen is made from flax and composts readily.
• Wool — Wool biodegrades and adds nitrogen to compost.
• Silk — Natural silk composts, though slowly.

Important: Only compost items that are 100 percent natural fiber. Most modern clothing contains synthetic blends (polyester, nylon, spandex) that will not break down and will leave microplastic fragments in your compost. Check the label before composting.

Also remove any zippers, buttons, snaps, and elastic waistbands before composting, as these are typically metal or plastic.

Oregon-Specific Recycling Options

Portland Metro

• Metro recycling information: Metro's recycling guide includes textiles. Call 503-234-3000 or check oregonmetro.gov for current textile recycling options in the tri-county area.
• SCRAP Creative Reuse (Portland): Accepts fabric scraps, yarn, and textile materials for their creative reuse store. Great for crafting community members.
• Free Geek (Portland): While primarily focused on electronics, Free Geek occasionally accepts textiles for internal use or partner programs.

Eugene-Springfield

• St. Vincent de Paul: Accepts all clothing including items that cannot be sold. Unsellable items are baled and sent to textile recyclers.
• BRING Recycling: Eugene's community-run recycling center accepts some textile materials.

Salem and Mid-Valley

• Goodwill: Accepts all clothing donations. Items that do not sell in stores are sent to Goodwill's textile recycling partners.
• Salvation Army: Similar program to Goodwill with unsold textiles going to recyclers.

What Happens to Recycled Clothing?

Understanding the recycled clothing pipeline helps explain why even your most worn-out clothes have value:

1. Grade A (wearable): Good-condition items are sorted for resale in domestic thrift stores or exported to international secondhand clothing markets.
2. Grade B (recyclable fibers): Damaged but clean textiles are shredded and processed into new fibers for insulation, industrial rags, or new fabric production.
3. Grade C (industrial wiping cloths): Soft cotton items are cut into uniform pieces and sold as industrial wiping rags to mechanics, manufacturers, and cleaning companies.
4. Grade D (fiber reclamation): The lowest grade items are shredded for fiber recovery, used in products like carpet padding, sound insulation, and building materials.

Last Resort: Responsible Disposal

If you truly cannot recycle or repurpose a textile item (for example, clothing contaminated with hazardous materials, heavy mold, or petroleum products), it goes in the regular trash. But this should be the absolute last resort.

If you are doing a major closet or home cleanout with a large volume of clothes mixed with other items you need gone, a professional junk removal service can handle the entire project. The crew will sort items for donation, textile recycling, and proper disposal.