If browsing through the best Lululemon leggings has inspired a recent gymwear overhaul, you may find that your closet is now bursting at the seams. Instead of overcrowding your drawers or tossing once-loved running tights into the trash, donate old workout clothes and make room for all your new threads.
Most of us are familiar with charitable outlets like Goodwill and The Salvation Army, and offering your gently-worn leggings, sneakers, or sports bras to these organizations could definitely help those in need.
However, there are plenty of other donation options that can directly benefit your neighbors, earn you credit with your favorite activewear brands, or even put a few dollars in your wallet.
Textile waste continues to be a pressing environmental concern, so it’s important to keep your spandex from ending up in a landfill – especially if they're still in good condition. Consider donating your old workout clothes in one of the following ways.
Charitable organizations
There are a wealth of groups that will take donated workout clothes and offer them in thrift or outlet stores, depending on the item’s quality.
The Salvation Army and Goodwill are two, along with Greendrop, Soles4Souls (which accepts sneakers), and Retold. Most groups will pick up your donations which can save you a trip out, and clothing donations generally count as tax deductions, which could save you some money.
Even if your workout clothes have seen better days, many of these organizations will still accept your items and recycle them instead. The revenue generated from your donations will go towards providing job placement services, enhancing community support systems, and clothing people in underserved areas.
Brand or store recycling
Several popular activewear brands have buyback or sustainability programs in place for their apparel.
Patagonia, Athleta, Lululemon, and H&M will all accept gently-used items and issue store credit for eligible donations. If you’re a member of REI’s Co-Op program, you can donate clothes made by The North Face, Arc’Teryx, Merrill, Salomon, Osprey and other brands for an REI gift card.
Nike’s Move to Zero initiative aims to reduce waste and lessen the brand’s environmental impacts. You can donate apparel and footwear back to Nike for recycling, although they do not offer any store credit or reimbursement.
Online or local consignment stores
If you’ve got a pair of leggings that look as new as the day you bought them, then consignment could result in some extra spending money. Most local consignment shops will sort through your items and offer either a flat cash payment or slightly higher store credit.
Online consignment retailers like ThredUp allow you to mail in your clothing donations. After inspecting your items, they’ll sell them for you and send you the profits (minus a service fee).
You can also sell your clothes on sites like eBay and Poshmark, but you’ll need to price your items, list them, and mail them off to buyers on your own.
Buy Nothing groups
The Buy Nothing project started out as a way to build community through "gift economies," where neighbors offer each other items at no cost. While Buy Nothing now has their own online platform, many have exchanged and received goods through local groups on social media.
If you’ve got a Facebook or Nextdoor account, chances are you can find a Buy Nothing group in your town. Publish a post with a few pictures of your old workout clothes, and you might end up outfitting your neighbor in their new favorite pair of running tights.
Local schools or sports leagues
Box up your gently-used sneakers, sweats, or hats and offer them to your local middle or high school.
Your old workout gear can clothe student athletes for practices and games, be repurposed into brand new uniforms, or be resold for fundraising efforts. Independent youth and adult sports leagues can benefit from your donations in the same way.
Local shelters
Your old workout clothes don’t have to be worn exclusively at the gym. Consider donating them to a local shelter, where items like hats, gloves, sweatshirts, and socks can make a world of difference for someone experiencing a crisis (especially during inclement weather).
Like charitable organizations, your donations to a shelter could mean more deductions at tax time, too. But gifting your old workout clothes to a shelter has a very direct benefit to people in need, helping people keep warm and dry throughout the year.
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