Your favorite sweater that got a hole in the elbow. The nearly new sneakers your child already out-grew. That dress you wore to one wedding and never again. All things that you want to donate, but you don't know what your sustainable options are to ensure they stay out of a landfill.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore has diverted over 25,000 tons of furniture and building materials from Bay Area landfills since 2003. Now, we're growing our sustainable reuse operation to tackle one of the fastest growing waste streams - fast fashion and clothing waste.
We all know the allure of fast fashion - trendy, affordable clothing that can be delivered to your doorstep in days. But this booming industry has an immense waste problem. Each year, we generate 92 million tons of textile waste globally, equal to one garbage truckload of textiles being landfilled or burned every second. Decomposing and incinerated clothing exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, and contamination from PFAS or "forever chemicals." In the U.S., only 13% of discarded clothing and shoes are recycled, and most Bay Area municipalities don't offer textile recycling in their waste diversion efforts. This problem is only set to grow, with global annual textile waste expected to rise to 134 million tons by 2030. So, what can we do about clothing waste?
The best way to keep your clothing out of landfills is to keep it in your closet! Extending the lifespan of clothing by just nine months can cut its carbon, water, and waste footprints by up to 20%! When one of your favorite pieces gets damaged, get creative with ways you can repair or reuse before you throw it away. If you have no idea where to start, join Habitat ReStore for one of our Clothing ReUse & RePair clinics in San Jose to learn sewing machine basics and skills like hemming and re-attaching buttons!
Donate Your Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories
If you have clothing in good condition that you simply don't need or can't use, Habitat ReStore has made donating clothing easy and accessible! ReStore is a one-stop-drop for clothing and shoes, as well as your old furniture, home decor, building materials, and so much more.
No car? No problem! Just schedule a donation pickup with our partner, ReSupply, to have clothing, shoes, & more picked up right from your home. And, if you own a business that needs to liquidate clothing, we have a dedicated corporate donation team ready to help clear your warehouse!
Lastly, ReStore partners with USAgain to collect unsellable clothing items and other textiles like bedding and household linens. 90% of clothing and shoes collected by USAgain are reused, and a tree is planted for every 10 bags of textiles collected!
Shop Secondhand Proudly
The fashion industry consumes 93 billion cubic meters of water and produces more greenhouse gas emissions than aviation and maritime shipping combined. Buying new comes with a higher cost to your wallet and our environment, so it makes sense that more people than ever are choosing to shop secondhand. At Habitat ReStore, we price all clothing, shoes, and accessories at just $3.50 per pound to make sustainable shopping affordable and accessible to everyone, just like it should be. With fresh donations arriving every day, there's always something new and exciting to be found in our clothing bins, without an expensive price tag. Click here to find your closest Habitat for Humanity ReStore!
Habitat for Humanity ReStore's textile recovery initiative in San José is funded in part by the City of San José Environmental Services Department’s Zero Waste Innovations Grant. The ZWIG Program supports creative, community-driven solutions that reduce waste while promoting sustainability and a circular economy. Thanks to the ZWIG program, Habitat for Humanity ReStore is able to expand our existing reuse and recycling efforts to bring community-centered textile reuse solutions to the City of San José. Click here to learn more!