Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill • Hacker News Board

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#121

Post by hellbannedguy » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:27 PM UTC

Many of the charities that collect clothing are 501c3 scams.

I sometimes wonder what charities are not scams?

The clothes at Goodwill are not washed.

(I used to recommend donating to Goodwill, but their prices are getting to high. Goodwill provides 1 year of employment to felons, which is great. They pay a unlivable salary though. The only people making a living salary are managers, and regional managers, and of course key members of the nonprofit. My Goodwill, in Marin County, had three managers in a row quietly fired fired theft.)

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#122

Post by kaybe » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:29 PM UTC

woodwireandfood wrote: post #97

francisofascii wrote: post #33

Any tips on extending the life of our clothes? I love new t-shirts, but they seem to wear down quickly. Maybe there is a way to wash them and get the sweat smell out without wearing down the shirt. I always use cold water, and only wash/dry when necessary. I heard washer agitation is a problem.

Silly one that I discovered: my t-shirts all developed a hole in the center of the stomach area first, before any other damage. It appears to be from rubbing between the seat belt of the car and the zipper/button area of my pants. So I've started pulling the shirt out of that spot after I put the seat belt on. Too early to tell how much of a difference it's made.

I have the same issue and I only ride cars very very rarely. I'm still wondering about the reason.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#123

Post by netrus » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:32 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #71

gambiting wrote: post #53

We run a processing company for second hand clothing in Poland(as well as our own shops), and while I can't comment on exports to Africa or elsewhere, that's definitely not the case for us. Primarly because we try to make use of absolutely everything we import, but also because few years back certain legislations were introduced that basically prevent companies like ours from producing large amounts of waste, with dr…

>why would anyone "donate" these is a different matter This is a very big question though. WTF are people thinking? There's a difference between no longer wearing something because it no longer fits but is otherwise in good condition to not being used because it's completely ruined. What mental block exists in the original owner from just throwing away the ruined items vs just holding onto them to donate so someone e…

Clothes only get worse while being used (or cleaned). Thus, all clothes I donate are basically in a condition that I considered "fit-to-wear" just one usage ago. Is it a stretch that someone would be happy to get for free what worked for me just until now?

That being said, after reading articles like this some years ago, I started to throw everything that is actually damaged to the trash (even if it is only a small hole). Maybe I am overdoing it - but I totally understand the mindset of "worst case they will have to trash it in my place".

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#124

Post by only_as_i_fall » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:34 PM UTC

cryptonym wrote: post #66

erfgh wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean that if people there only had access to more expensive clothing they would be better off?

Fair price locally can generate more work for local people, wealth and redistribution. Overall, more expensive clothing could also help reducing waste. Cheap fast-fashion fails to significantly improve my life (and, from post, negatively impacts lives).

How does banning the import of secondhand clothing reduce waste?

Unless you can prevent westerners from getting rid of clothes in the first place this really seems like paying people to dig and refill holes. Work for the sake of work.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#125

Post by valarauko » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:37 PM UTC

dpeck wrote: post #40

Sample size of just me, but I’ve done some volunteering before and the amount of clothes that people donate is huge. But the chance of people in need actually wearing what was donated was small. The guidance that my group was given was essentially, if it couldn’t be worn to a job interview or a religious service (think men’s chinos and a button up shirt, women nicer pants/skirt and good quality blouse), then throw it…

I think the disconnect here is between the expectations of the donors of who the end users are, and their needs. I would have expected that donated clothes would end up with the homeless, who at least here (NYC) have a need for layers. I would not have expected donated clothes to have resale value, and to merely be functional. The idea that donated clothes should be job interview quality is new to me, and I guess probably none of my current wardrobe would qualify.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#126

Post by mywittyname » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:40 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #71

gambiting wrote: post #53

We run a processing company for second hand clothing in Poland(as well as our own shops), and while I can't comment on exports to Africa or elsewhere, that's definitely not the case for us. Primarly because we try to make use of absolutely everything we import, but also because few years back certain legislations were introduced that basically prevent companies like ours from producing large amounts of waste, with dr…

>why would anyone "donate" these is a different matter This is a very big question though. WTF are people thinking? There's a difference between no longer wearing something because it no longer fits but is otherwise in good condition to not being used because it's completely ruined. What mental block exists in the original owner from just throwing away the ruined items vs just holding onto them to donate so someone e…

> This is a very big question though. WTF are people thinking?

From what I've seen, there's a segment of people who feel the urge to donate, but have this elitist attitude towards less fortunate people who need assistance that can be summed up as, "they should take what they are given with a smile." Like, they have this notion that accepting any charity should involve some degree of humiliation. Almost like they feel like a person must not really be in need if they aren't willing to, for example, accept expired food.

It's a really fucking toxic attitude and I suspect being on the receiving end of such behavior can be a cause for a lot of people who need assistance to not seek it out.

My mother works at a women's shelter and this comes up when it comes to donations around Christmas time. People claim they want to donate, but when it comes to donating things women actually need, they will sometimes get all huffy. The women who come to the shelter came there with basically nothing and potential donators sometimes raise a stink about giving women nice toiletry baskets, as though they are entitled to no "luxuries" by virtue of being poor, homeless, and without a support system.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#127

Post by ryanmcbride » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:42 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #71

gambiting wrote: post #53

We run a processing company for second hand clothing in Poland(as well as our own shops), and while I can't comment on exports to Africa or elsewhere, that's definitely not the case for us. Primarly because we try to make use of absolutely everything we import, but also because few years back certain legislations were introduced that basically prevent companies like ours from producing large amounts of waste, with dr…

>why would anyone "donate" these is a different matter This is a very big question though. WTF are people thinking? There's a difference between no longer wearing something because it no longer fits but is otherwise in good condition to not being used because it's completely ruined. What mental block exists in the original owner from just throwing away the ruined items vs just holding onto them to donate so someone e…

I assume a fair amount of donations haven't been sorted through at all by the donators. They likely just already have large bags of clothes that no one wears anymore for any given reason and don't take the time to determine what is and isn't donatable. I know that's what's been done by my family when a family member dies. There's maybe a couple separate pieces that get saved for sentimental reasons (I have my grandpa's wedding tuxedo jacket for example) but everything else pretty much gets dumped into bags and sent off.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#128

Post by elric » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:42 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #71

gambiting wrote: post #53

We run a processing company for second hand clothing in Poland(as well as our own shops), and while I can't comment on exports to Africa or elsewhere, that's definitely not the case for us. Primarly because we try to make use of absolutely everything we import, but also because few years back certain legislations were introduced that basically prevent companies like ours from producing large amounts of waste, with dr…

>why would anyone "donate" these is a different matter This is a very big question though. WTF are people thinking? There's a difference between no longer wearing something because it no longer fits but is otherwise in good condition to not being used because it's completely ruined. What mental block exists in the original owner from just throwing away the ruined items vs just holding onto them to donate so someone e…

This is highly location-dependent, but in some areas, charities will come to collect used items (say a big bag of clothes) free of charge, whereas throwing that same bag out in the trash is costly. So sneaking in a couple of shitty items basically saves money.

Trash collection is -- no pun intended -- a mess.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#129

Post by Scoundreller » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:51 PM UTC

jeromegv wrote: post #102

erfgh wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean that if people there only had access to more expensive clothing they would be better off?

Many African countries actually prevent import of second hand clothing. They can produce clothing locally for quite cheap with local labor (that is cheap), but having literally FREE clothing showing up actually decimates your local industry. That's why you have anti-dumping laws in the western world.

But can they even compete with first hand clothing made in south/Southeast Asia?

I haven’t seen anything “Made in Africa” in North America.

Re: Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfill

#130

Post by fighterpilot » Tue, Aug 17, 2021, 4:53 PM UTC

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #95

jnwatson wrote: post #48

It is articles like this that remind me that we so desperately need a carbon tax. Making a t-shirt in China, shipping to the US, wearing it for a few times, and then shipping it to Africa should not be economically viable.

Or you know, just don't make it in the first place. If all low quality fast fashion were $20 instead of $7 across the board people would still gorge themselves on it. They're not buying stuff for the need to have clothes, they're buying things for the experiences of buying it and the novelty of something new.

Fast fashion is probably one of the most price elastic goods in existence. And your suggestion to "just don't make it" is patently silly. Are you advocating for a ban on clothes or are you advocating for all manufacturers to willingly stop production and avoid profits? Either of these is detached from reality. A carbon tax is what's needed.