Many people will head straight to either the garbage bin or the dump, after they’ve cleaned their home. Clothing, as well as other valuables, that could end up going to those in need are instead relegated to already crowded landfills. If an article of clothing hasn’t been worn within six months to a year, it’s time to think about making a clothes donation. Here are three benefits associated with making Purple Heart clothing donations. It is important to note that these same benefits apply to many household items, not just clothing.
- Helping the Environment – When it comes time to clean out our home or go through your closets, most of what you no longer want ends up getting thrown away. It’s easy to no longer think of where items go once they leave your home. However, the sad truth is clothes are gradually contributing to the crowding of landfills all across the world. Each year the average American will typically throw away around 70 pounds of clothing, textiles, and linens. When you multiply that number by the amount of Americans, you can begin to see the problem this can have on our landfills, which impacts the environment. Unfortunately, Americans will donate or recycle a small percentage of their used clothing, only around 15% will go to a good cause. Most Americans are unaware that nearly 100% of used textiles and clothing can be recycled, regardless of the condition of these items. Used-clothing sales enabled 2.5 billion pounds of fabric to avoid going to landfills, based on research gathered in 2006. Purple Heart clothing donations ensure that you used items are going to a good place.
- Knowing You’ve Helped Others – Helping the environment is one of the best feelings you can have. However, knowing that you have helped a fellow human being can give you a great sense of satisfaction too. The GreenDrop company is doing their best to offer free-standing locations, in addition to mobile trailers that collect an average of 100 tons of weekly donations. The previously mentioned 100 ton weekly collections are removing these items from filling up landfills. The mobile trailers are convenient to drop off your charitable donations where you might not have an actual GreenDrop building in your area. You can have extra peace of mind knowing that you are helping out an organization that helped to raise around $2.5 million for charities and that was just in 2014!
- Tax Write-Off Purposes – It won’t match the feeling of satisfaction that you get from helping your environment and community but donating also can help you out at tax time. Each year, many people are able to receive credits on their taxes, regarding the charitable donations they provide. When you add up the write-off possibilities, donating can really help out when you file your taxes. For example, a typical men’s suit or overcoat can be worth about $60 in tax write-offs. What surprises people the most is how much of a write-off you can receive from some of the most common household items. Surprisingly, even a coffee maker can add up to a tax write-off ranging from $4 to $15. It is important that you keep receipts of all charitable donations. Any item that is worth over $250 will require a receipt to be considered a proper tax write-off.
Purple Heart clothing donations has remained one of the most popular donation services around. Hopefully, you now see how much good you can do for the world by donating your used items. You’ll be doing your part to help out the environment by not simply throwing away your clothing and textiles. In addition, knowing that you are giving to those less fortunate can make anyone feel like they have done something worthwhile. A study shows that more than 14.3 million tons of donated textiles by Americans have clothed families worldwide. Purple Heart clothing donations don’t just help out others, tax write-offs will help to save you money by giving away used items. Donating to help others in need is an amazing way to do a good deed that will touch the lives of others.