Planet Aid Recycled Clothing Is Eco Friendly and Benefits Needy Countries

Recycling clothes is getting easier and easier to do. If you don’t live in New York with their handy textile recycling bins or by a Goodwill, try Planet Aid, a non-profit organization that collects and resells donated clothing to benefit needy countries throughout the world. Started in 1997 they have donated about $60 million and are active in 15 states in the US.

Planet Aid helps to drive economic development, improve the environment, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and eliminate poverty in developing countries, among other things.

I Just Gotta Tell Ya In 2009

• Planet Aid collected 100 million pounds of clothing for reuse,
• Eliminated 360 million pounds of greenhouse gases that would be released into the atmosphere through the production of new clothing
• Planet Aid saved 72 billion gallons of water,
• 20 million pounds of pesticides through our textile recycling program during 2009.
• Provided $14.7 million in direct and in-kind support for education, agricultural training, health and sanitation, and HIV/AIDS counseling.

They have more than 11,000 drop off bins in the US, you can find a bin locator here

In addition to being environmentally-friendly, proceeds from the sale of donated clothes help  fund programs serving the people of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia:

• Community development programs that improve the standard of living for families in impoverished areas through a holistic, community-based approach with a focus on education and healthcare.
• Health programs with a focus on giving HIV/AIDS affected communities the knowledge and tools necessary to take control of the epidemic.
• Agricultural development programs that provide training to small-scale farmers to create food security and income for their families.
• Vocational schools that provide education and training to undereducated youth, allowing them to work and contribute to their communities.
• Teacher training programs that produce qualified and compassionate primary school teachers for rural areas of the developing world.