One Student can save the Planet…

The end of the semester doesn’t mean the end of your old clothes.

Final exams are on the way and moving out of your dorm (or your mom’s spring cleaning obsession) is next! We all know how time consuming and stressful it can be to go through your closet for spring cleaning or pack up your whole life before the Resident Assistant checks you out of your dorm. You may already be dealing with the dilemma of trying to figure out if you can leave behind your little brother instead of your mini refrigerator!

Well, Planet Aid just made life easier!
Many charities only ask for clothing in good condition, but Planet Aid wants to save all textiles from the landfill. Even ripped clothing!

I don’t have time to sort…

We get it! Between classes and internships, you don’t even have time to sort clothes on laundry day. While Planet Aid can’t turn your light pink socks, white (oops!), they can sort your old clothes for you! Instead of taking valuable time to separate your unwanted clothes into “donate” and “recycle” piles, you can put everything in one bag and drop it off in one of their 19,000 convenient yellow bins. This is the easiest way to find new homes for your clothes in a socially, environmentally and adult(ish) way.

Where do the clothes go?

Most of the clothing is loaded directly into a baling machine without sorting. The baling machine wraps the clothes in a protective cloth or plastic wrapper and straps them tightly together into a large package that weighs approximately 1,000 pounds. The company will sort all clothing received at some of their facilities for the purpose of selling them in their Thrift Center. Also, they will occasionally sort clothing for a local cause, like a winter coat clothing drive to benefit the homeless. A portion of that good-quality clothing goes to domestic thrift stores, but the large majority gets sold to overseas customers. This is a result of the high demand for used clothing in developing countries and the relatively low demand for used textiles in the U.S.

Why stop there?

Okay so you’re most likely a student, intern or professional pizza eater at the moment. Well now add the titles, Planet Saver or even an Environmentalist (fancy!) to your resume! You’re taking over the world one ripped t-shirt at a time. So why stop now?! We challenge YOU to minimize waste in honor of Earth Day (April 22) – not just today, but everyday!

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