A 2017 survey by YouGov shows that 29% of Filipinos have thrown their clothes away after wearing them just once. That’s right—they didn’t sell or donate them, they just threw them away. The study also reports that 42% of Filipino millennials say they bought about half of the clothing they own in the past year.
Granted, these unbelievable statistics should be taken with a grain of salt—YouGov gathers its results through online surveys, which limits its pool of respondents to those with internet access. We’re guessing that among the 3,037 respondents they interviewed in October 2017, a good percentage must be from the middle and upper classes.
Nonetheless, these statistics are pretty appalling when some of our less privileged countrymen can’t even afford to buy their kids underwear. Instead of tossing your clothes, consider donating them to people who need them. Needless to say, you should only donate clothing that’s actually clean and still wearable—nobody wants to receive bacon briefs and yellow socks.
Here’s a list of stores and charitable institutions that accept clothing donations.
1. H&M
The fast-fashion industry has been vilified for being one of the biggest sources of pollution and waste, but H&M has made efforts to make their production cycle more sustainable. All stores accept used clothing—in any condition, from any brand—in exchange for a 15% discount voucher.
Your donations will be sold as secondhand clothing, turned into other products like cleaning cloths, or recycled as textile fibers. While there’s no minimum or maximum number of items required, the store will only give a maximum of two vouchers at one time.
2. Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines
Tzu Chi’s recycling program accepts all kinds of items, including old but useable clothing. They do, however, request that you call up their office and coordinate with them before dropping off your donations.
3. Citizens’ Disaster Response Centre
The CDRC has been assisting disaster victims all over the country since 1984. They accept all kinds of relief goods—including garments in good condition—at their center in Quezon City.
4. Segunda Mana
This project by Caritas Manila accepts secondhand items and sells them to raise funds for their programs for the poor. Arrange for your donations to be picked up by calling 564-0205, 562-0020 to 25, or emailing them at [email protected].
5. Philippine Animal Welfare Society
Ready to toss that shirt full of holes? While they may not be fit to be worn by human beings, PAWS accepts clean rags they can use to line their cat beds.
