Green Lifestyle: Clothing 101 - Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle

Now, you just bought a brand new 100% organic cotton t-shirt and are itching to flaunt it off. You do so. And do so, and do so, and do so for however long. Then, like all other clothing items, it starts wearing out and soon enough you're itching to get rid of it.

Instead of throwing away that precious o-cotton, think about reusing, repurposing, or recycling it. There are several ways to do this, here are some:

1. Donate - If the clothing item is in decent enough shape, consider donating it to Goodwill or the Vietnam Veterans of America. (I prefer the Vietnam Vets over Goodwill because they donate those clothes to the vets and their families directly.) For Goodwill, you can drop of your donation at any store and for the Vets, you can schedule a pick-up via their website.
   


2. 3R - Crafty with the needle? Then repurpose those battered up clothes, especially if they're not decent enough to donate. You can do the 3R's (Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle) of clothing by just doing this simple step. Also, it can be guaranteed that you'll be the only one wearing that repurposed hybrid o-cotton shirt.
   
3. Alternative Uses - If your clothes are way too tattered to do any of the previous two ideas, consider turning that shirt or blouse into a dust or wash rag. Why buy specialized rags at the store when you can save money by recycling your old clothes? Those beaten shirts work well when detailing the car as well.

All in all, don't throw away your old wardrobe without taking a quick peek at them and possibly give them a renewed chance at life. It's one less thing to clog the landfill.