If your wardrobe is full of clothes you never reach for, the best thing you can do is pass them on — to a real person, a local charity, or a textile recycler, depending on their condition. Most unwanted clothing in wearable condition can be rehomed the same day with the right tools. Only genuinely damaged or unsanitary items belong in general waste.
What to do with old clothes that are still in good condition
Wearable clothes have the most options and the most impact when kept in circulation:
- Givore — post the item on Givore and a neighbour collects it for free, usually within hours. Best for single pieces or small lots you want to go to a specific person rather than a bin.
- Charity shops — Cáritas, Cruz Roja, and local secondhand shops accept clean, wearable clothing. Items are priced and sold to fund social programmes.
- Clothes swaps — community events (search intercambio de ropa locally) where you exchange items for free. Zero cost, zero waste, and you often come home with something new to you.
- Facebook Marketplace / Wallapop (free listings) — useful for branded or higher-value pieces where you want a specific person to appreciate them.
Where to drop off clothes anonymously — textile collection bins
If you have a bag of mixed clothing and just want it gone, textile bins are the easiest option. In Spain, look for:
- Humana (orange containers) — a registered non-profit; good condition items are resold in their shops, damaged textiles are recycled as industrial fibre.
- Cáritas drop-off points — often located at parish buildings; clothing goes directly to their social programmes.
- Municipal recycling points (puntos limpios) — most accept textiles alongside other recyclables.
The important caveat: leave only clean, dry items. Wet or mouldy clothing contaminates entire bin loads.
Should you use fast-fashion store recycling bins?
Probably not for wearable items. Investigations by Changing Markets Foundation and others have documented that major fast-fashion retailers’ in-store textile bins send a large proportion of collected clothing to landfill or incineration, not genuine reuse. If the item is still wearable, a neighbour or charity shop is a better destination. Reserve brand-specific bins for truly damaged textiles with no other option.
What to do with clothes that are damaged or unwearable
Not everything can be donated. For genuinely worn-out clothing:
| Condition | Best option |
|---|---|
| Clean but heavily worn | Humana / municipal textile recycling |
| Torn but repairable | Repair café or alterations shop |
| Stained or mouldy | General waste (last resort) |
| Brand new, unworn | Givore, charity shop, or gift directly |
Textile recycling is not perfect, but it keeps fibres out of general landfill. Even old cotton T-shirts can be shredded into industrial cleaning cloth.
How to give away a full wardrobe at once
Decluttering an entire wardrobe is a different challenge from passing on a single item. A practical sequence:
- Sort into three piles: wearable, damaged, and unsure.
- Post the wearable lot on Givore — you can list multiple items or offer a bundle.
- Bag the clearly damaged items for a Humana bin or punto limpio.
- For anything valuable or branded, try a consignment shop or Wallapop free listing first.
For more on giving away household items beyond clothing, see our guide to donating clothes in Spain or the broader free stuff guide.
The one thing to avoid
Do not put wearable clothes in general waste out of convenience. Spain generated an estimated 900,000 tonnes of textile waste in 2023 (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica), and the majority ends up in landfill. Every item that reaches a real person instead is a genuine improvement.
Ready to clear your wardrobe today? Download Givore and post your first item — someone nearby will collect it for free, usually within the day.