Photo Credit: Flickr 

By Melinda Mok

Most of us would have some old clothes in our wardrobe, clothes that we are not wearing anymore. Before you decide to dump your old clothing into the trash bin, you should consider recycling them. 

There are many ways to recycle old clothes that are still in wearable condition. One of the ways is to donate them to charity centres, NGOs, orphanages, shelter homes, and even old folks’ homes. Your old clothes would be a great help to the needy as there are people who are not able to afford new clothes.  

Besides donating them, you could also sell used clothes to a second-hand clothes’ store or thrift shops. These clothes would be sold for a cheaper price and there are many people out there who would purchase second-hand clothes as they might not be able to afford buying first-hand clothing which might be a bit costly to them. 

If you have friends or relatives who accept second-hand clothes, you may pass your used clothes to them. However, it is still good to ensure that the clothing you passed on to others are still wearable and are not worn out to the point of having holes in them. 

Another way is to upcycle old clothes. You could get creative and turn old clothes into floor mats, pillow covers, or even rag cloths for household use. You could even cut and sew old clothes to make another piece of clothing. If you have an old pair of socks, you could stuff some cotton in them, add on googly eyes and it will make a cute toy for your kids and even pets.

By recycling old clothes, we would help save the environment by reducing the amount of trash in the landfill. Tossing away old clothes into a garbage bag should only be the last resort if the clothes are not wearable and serve no other purpose anymore. 

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher