It’s temping to use donation-based stores and agencies, like Goodwill and Saint Vincent de Paul, as outlets for items we don’t want anymore, but don’t exactly want to trash.

While it is probably more environmentally-friendly to give a worn shirt or gently used pair of pants to one of these organizations, they might end up tossing it anyway, depending on the condition of the donated item.

Think of it this way: if you wouldn’t give one of your used clothing items to a friend as a type of gift, these donation-based stores probably don’t want it either. If you wouldn’t buy a used T-shirt off the rack at a Goodwill, even at a discounted price, don’t be the one who puts it there in the first place.

Even though donations to thrift stores like the Salvation Army and Goodwill always slow down after the end-of-year holidays, it won’t help to give these organizations junk. It also gives their employees more work — they are the ones who will have to sort through the donated items and throw them away, if they are not up to par.

Instead of giving old clothing items to discount stores, you could just throw them in the trash. Or, you could fashion old cloth into other clothing items, by turning ripped shirts into handbags, or used jeans into makeshift denim quilts.

Even if you don’t want to keep the Frankenstein clothing items, they might do better at surviving the trash bin once donated to a discount store like Saint Vincent de Paul.

Reusable bags are almost always needed by shelters, which give them to clients to help them carry their belongings from place to place. Consider donating canvas bags, or crafting them yourself, instead of throwing out your trash clothing by giving it to a discount store around the block.

Thrift stores — and their employees — would appreciate it.

ET