Your donated clothes may not go directly to people in need, experts warn
The arrangement is legal, but contributors aren’t always aware that their clothing isn’t going to a person in need.
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Clothing donated in clothing bins is not guaranteed to go to those in need. Kane In Your Corner checked a sample of bins in the region and found nearly all were run by for-profit clothing resellers who pay a charity for the use of its name.
Kane In Your Corner spoke to people who donate their clothing.
“If you donate something, you want it to go to good causes, not sell them," said one person.
The arrangement is legal, but contributors aren’t always aware that their clothing isn’t going to a person in need.
Experts say if you want your used clothing to go directly to charity, you should do your research.
"Ask questions if you have them. Get in touch with the charity to make sure that are a charity. Because it could be a for-profit," says Melissa Companick, of the Better Business Bureau.
Companick says giving your clothing to a for-profit clothing recycler isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The charity will often get some money through the transaction, and the clothing isn’t ending up in a landfill.
"You want to get the information and make sure that when I'm putting a bag full of clothing into that box at my grocery store, what are they going to do with it?" says Companick.
But if the goal is to donate directly to those in need, she says you should contact your local church or shelter and ask what they do with the donations, or call the phone number on the donation box.
In addition, the tax rules have changed for donating used clothing. Under the One Big Beautiful Act passed by Congress last year, you can now only deduct charitable donations that exceed 0.5% of your adjusted gross income.
