3 Ways to Repurpose Your Worn-Out Clothes

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Find some worn-out clothing during your latest closet clean out? If some pieces are too shabby to sell or donate, consider options other than the trash bin. Understanding how to repurpose old clothes properly keeps textile waste out of landfills, reduces your fashion footprint, and helps your wardrobe stay tidy.

In this guide, learn what to do with worn-out clothes and how to recycle your old favorites responsibly.

1. Brand exchange programs

While local thrift stores are a popular option for getting rid of old clothes, heavily worn donations often end up in landfills. The following brands use high-quality partnerships to keep materials in circulation, no matter their condition—and offer excellent incentives in return.

The North Face

The North Face is famous for outdoor recreation clothing and equipment, and they’re committed to taking care of the planet they love to explore. Circular Design is their range of recycled gear made from sustainably sourced materials, including your old branded clothing. 

They repurpose high-quality items and reward you with $10, $30, or $50 gift cards. Even if the garments can’t be made into new clothes, The North Face recycles the material.

Another way to enjoy this brand and contribute to a greener planet is thrifting on ThredUp. Our extensive collection features amazing preloved pieces from The North Face, starting at only $6.99.

Patagonia

Patagonia is one of our favorite sustainable brands, so it’s no surprise they keep old clothes in circulation. Their Worn Wear program allows you to trade in high-quality items for store credit. Patagonia resells what they can and recycles the rest. The best clothes pass on to the next person, but even the tattered and stained are guaranteed to stay out of landfills.

To shop Patagonia items for even less, try ThredUp. We have hundreds of Patagonia items, including tank tops, active pants, and jackets, starting at $10.99.

Nike

Nike’s Reuse-a-shoe program has been recycling footwear, tops, and bottoms since 1993. So far, they’ve transformed 32 million pairs of shoes and 120 million pounds of manufacturing scrap into usable material.

To turn your used Nike shoes and apparel into something new, drop them off at a participating Nike store. Then, add more activewear to your collection sustainably by thrifting Nike treasures on ThredUp, starting at $5.99. 

H&M

H&M’s garment collecting program welcomes any brand in any condition. They sort clothes into three categories:

• Rewear: Clothes they can resell as secondhand.
• Reuse: Garments they can repurpose into new items, like cleaning cloths.
• Recycle: Clothing they can shred and turn into industrial materials.

Bring your clothes to participating H&M stores and score a 15% discount coupon for each bag, with a maximum of two bags per day.

Contribute to this eco-friendly mission by thrifting your next H&M find. Find blazers, jeans, and tops on ThredUp, starting at $5.99.

Zara

Zara’s Clothes Collection Program recycles 100% cotton, wool, and polyester into new fabric. They also turn mixed blends into construction and automotive materials.

The easiest way to participate is to drop your clothes into Zara stores, but they’ve started placing drop-off boxes across New York for online customers.

Grab Zara dresses, hoodies, and tops for less on ThredUp, starting at $4.99.

Madewell

Madewell produces our favorite curvy jeans, and they’re dedicated to keeping great denim out of the trash. They’ve collected 1.5 million items, diverted 801 tons of waste from landfills, and made 3.2 million square feet of insulation from old fabric.

We love their program so much that we’re helping out. Bring your jeans to a Madewell store or send them in via a ThredUp Clean Out bag. For every pair of jeans, you get a $20 gift card to spend on more long-lasting garments.

Grab striking Madewell items on ThredUp, including their famous jeans, starting at $5.99.

Girlfriend Collective

Girlfriend Collective is one of our favorite affordable, sustainable clothing brands, and they’re all about reducing textile waste. They even designed two of their main fabrics, Compressive and FLOAT, to be easily broken down and rewoven into something new.

The company accepts any clothing brand but gives bigger bonuses for Girlfriend garments: $10 credit per Girlfriend piece and $5 credit for other items.

Encourage eco-friendly practices by filling your closet with Girlfriend items from ThredUp, starting at $5.99.

2. Garment recycling options

If you’re ready to skip the middleman and take your old clothes straight to the source, send your items to these reputable textile recycling programs.

Terracycle

Terracycle recycles various items, including clothing, beauty products, and art supplies. It’s a bit pricey for individual use, but it’s an excellent option for businesses or communities—or if you have a few friends who want to contribute. 

Simply order a Zero Waste Box, fill it with your clothing (and miscellaneous fabric if you love to sew), and ship it back to them. They’ll recycle everything.

American Textile Recycling Service

The American Textile Recycling Service accepts worn clothing, shoes, toys, and household items. Most are sold secondhand, and the rest become industrial materials, wash rags, and disaster relief supplies.

They have recognizable orange drop-off bins across nine U.S. states. If you don’t have a bin in your area, you can contact them and host a bin for your community.

The Bra Recyclers

As the name suggests, The Bra Recyclers takes old bras and sends quality pieces to people who need undergarments. The donation process is simple: wash your bras, pack them up, and send them in.

Along with taking bras from individuals, the brand also repurposes overstock, samples, and returns from retailers. And if The Bra Recyclers receives unsalvageable items, they become punching bags for self-defense classes. 

Green Tree

Green Tree is known for its bright green boxes across New York, but you can also schedule a pickup or request a box for your community. This program resells any clothing it can, but heavily worn items are respun into yarn and made into rags, garments, and insulation.

Secondary Materials And Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association

SMART is a textile recycling program that accepts individual donations in community bins. They also encourage large organizations to donate items they no longer need, such as misprinted T-shirts or prison uniforms. 

 The company has several bin locations, and you can use their online directory to find the nearest one.

3. Other ways to repurpose clothes 

We have a few other excellent solutions for worn-out clothing, from composting to creative upcycled projects. Explore our tips and see what catches your fancy.

Donate responsibly

Donating is a great option—just make sure your clothes are in good shape. Clean them up, remove stains, and mend rips and tears.

With ThredUp, you can fill a Clean Out bag with high-quality used clothing. We’ll sell the best pieces, and if there are any flawed gems in there, we’ll repair them and give them a new life. For items you no longer need, Trashie offers a Take Back Bag to help you responsibly thrift, donate or reuse textiles, ensuring even worn-out rags are kept out of landfills. 

And if you’re looking for a way to donate items that aren’t suitable for reselling, try your local animal shelter. While your worn fleece pants and old wool sweaters may be too holey for a wardrobe, they’d make a warm bed for a pup or kitten.

Start a DIY project

A DIY project is one of the most engaging ways to learn how to upcycle old clothes. It’s an opportunity to flex your creative muscles, involve your little ones, and create something uniquely you.

 Turn worn-out clothes into scrunchies, quilts, or patches. And if you’re wondering what to do with stained clothes, toss them into a tub of colorful dye to create hippie-chic garments. Heavily damaged items also work well as filling for stuffed animals and pillows.

Pro tip: Plan a fun DIY project every August 17th for a fun National Thrifting Day tradition.

Add to a compost bin

You can compost specific clothing items, but you need to know which materials to salvage. Natural fibers, like cotton, wool, silk, and linen, will break down—it just takes a while. Cut them up into small bits to speed up the process.

Research each piece before you get started, as many fabric blends and chemically treated garments cannot be composted. 

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Send in your preloved clothes and shop sustainably with ThredUp

To clean and refresh your closet sustainably, partner with ThredUp. Send in preloved clothing, and we’ll resell, repair, and recycle it. Whether it’s finding new homes for your best pieces or ensuring their reuse, ThredUp makes it easy to reduce waste and give your wardrobe a second life.

Then, search our extensive collection to fill the blank spots in your wardrobe. Explore top brands at up to 90% off retail prices in various colors, sizes, and styles. Our Improved Search function will help you find specific items, like “lightweight casual sweatshirts” or “patterned stretchy leggings.” In no time, you’ll build a closet you’re proud of.