Did you know that in North America 85% of used clothing ends up in landfill sites?  There are several environmental considerations for garment disposal.  Two issues are that synthetic fibres don't decompose;  and woollen clothing does decompose, but produces methane gas.  Methane is a greenhouse gas and 38% of North America's methane emissions come from landfill sites.

Giving old clothing to local non-profit groups for recycling is a great way to reduce residential waste.  Make sure that the clothing you donate is dry (not wet) and not soiled.  The clothing may be rejected in either of these two conditions. 

Always ask the charity group about their recycling process.  Some charities only accept clothing suitable for re-use as clothing.   In other cases they may accept the clothes but then they ultimately discard the clothing if it is not in good enough condition to wear.  Having the clothing end up in a landfill after donation to a charity is no better than discarding the items yourself. 

There are many options for re-use from use as rags to stuffing furniture or shipping the clothing to a local textile recycling plant where the clothes are sorted and then shredded to make shoddy.  High grade shoddy can be mixed with new fibres and spun for knitting.  Lower grade shoddy can be used as carpet underlay, mattress padding and cushion stuffing.  There is no need for most textiles to end up in landfill sites.