Planet Aid has published its 2023 Annual Report, highlighting steps taken to reuse clothes and shoes, reduce textile waste in landfills and incinerators, and fundraise for organizations in the U.S., Latin America, Africa and Asia working to strengthen their communities. Since 1997, Planet Aid has helped divert more than two billion pounds of textiles from U.S. landfills and raise more than $100 million for community development programs.
"It may not seem like much when you donate clothes in our signature yellow bins or our new, state of the art donation centers, but it adds up quickly," said Planet Aid President and CEO Fred Olsson. "Similarly, it doesn’t take much to partner with Planet Aid to host a donation bin, but the combined impact is significant."
In 2023, Planet Aid’s nearly 250 employees collected roughly 65 million pounds of clothes and shoes from nearly 10,000 donation bins and donation centers in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Net proceeds from the resale of donated textiles are used to fund locally led projects in the U.S. and around the globe. Donations to Planet Aid support programs that promote education, health and wellness, environmental and agricultural sustainability and other community development programs.
The need to reuse textiles in the U.S. is significant. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that less than 15% of all discarded clothing in the U.S. is reclaimed.
The average American throws out roughly 70 pounds of textiles per year, according to Council for Textile Recycling. This adds 11.3 million tons to U.S. landfills annually.
Planet Aid partners with thousands of schools, small businesses, places of worship, municipalities and shopping centers to make textile reuse convenient for millions of Americans.
Planet Aid continues to innovate to expand textile reuse and make donating more convenient, safe and efficient. In 2023 we continued to roll out more of our state of the art dontion centers. Featuring solar powered lighting and 24-hour monitoring, these refurbished, steel shipping containers and are designed to be weather and tamper resistant.
The new centers help Planet Aid keep clothing collection costs down so more so more money can be directed to programs that strengthen communities. Keep a look for a new donation center coming to your community soon.