Where to Donate Clothes In Australia
– A Full Guide
This post was first created in Nov 2022 and last updated in 2024
Hello there my eco-conscious warriors 😊
When I first decluttered my wardrobe, I remember having bags and bags of clothing I no longer wanted or needed. It was a terrible waste!
But it got worse because I had no idea what to do with all that clothing. So I opted for the default option – dump them at my local second-hand store.
It’s only now, many years later, that I’ve learnt that this is not always the best option to get rid of unwanted clothing. There are better options available, if I want to donate clothing to those in need and not have my clothes shifted from one country to another.
If you want to know where to donate clothes in Australia consider charities like Clothesline, Dress for Success, Wear for Success and 2nd Life Project – they will ensure clothing gets to those in need. Charities like The Salvation Army, Red Cross and Vinnies are great, but under certain circumstances.
There are a few options to consider and other aspects to keep in mind when donating clothing to charities. I cover this all in this blog post where you will find information on:
And I also cover these two questions at the end of the blog post:
Let’s get into it 🚀
Where to donate clothes in Australia
Below is a list of charities that accept clothing donations – from Sydney to Perth, most major cities are covered in the options listed below.
In coming up with this list, I focused on organisations that give a significant portion (if not all) of all their donated goods freely to those in need. These charities are not in the business of selling clothing donations to overseas markets.
If you want to donate to these charities, the clothing will need to be in very good condition – something you would gift to others.
If you want to know more about what is meant by “very good condition”, have a read of Donating Clothing? Know What You Can or Can’t Donate.
Unfortunately, the charities listed in the table above are very specific about what type of clothing they accept. This can be limiting and you may need to consider other options.
A range of other options are covered below.
The best place to donate clothing
The best charity to donate clothes to is your local charity – for example, a community or local church group that collects clothing for people in need. Also consider contacting a local women’s shelter, crisis accommodation or social housing project in your area. They might need what you have to offer.
It does require a little bit of effort and patience to find these places but these really are the best charities and organisations to donate your clothing to.
Google your location and the words “community group/ church group/ women’s shelter/ crisis accommodation/ social housing” and see what pops up. If contact details appear, contact them and see what they say.
Or check out the GiveNow website, which has a map showing where some of these lesser-known charities are located: https://www.givenow.com.au/otherways/search?category=CLOTHES
The Give Now website doesn’t list all charities and local groups out there, but there are quite a few listed.
I have to admit, I haven’t yet made the effort to find a local charity near me. But I did do something similar when it came to getting rid of old paint cans I had on hand.
I contacted the local men’s shed via email. They didn’t get back to me straight away so I ended up giving the paints to the local council for recycling. A couple of weeks later I received an email back from the men’s shed saying they were interested in the paint cans.
I wish I had waited longer for their reply! I could have donated them to a group that could make use of them.
Local charitable groups aside, out of all the charitable organisations mentioned earlier, Dress for Success comes up as one that has helped people in a real way. Here are some comments on Reddit on this:
This a great charity, I went as a client and found it to be a great experience. spoke to a consultant, who then selected a couple of outfits for me to try on – left with a full set of interview clothes, plus a bag, jewellery and makeup.
Seconding the dress for success if any professional clothes. Go in person to drop the clothes off, and they’ll be sorted/sold appropriately….
So as far as charity organisations go, Dress for Success appears to be one of the best.
Dress for Success seems to be a charity worth donating to.
But in my opinion, any charity listed in the table above is worth considering. Based on the information page on their websites, they are genuine organisations committed to helping those in need.
Alternative ways to donate old clothing
Another way to deal with unwanted clothing is to take matters into your own hands and give your clothes to someone you know. Failing that, using Facebook marketplace and freecycle groups is an easy option available to everyone and a great way of reaching people in need.
On Marketplace you are connected with people who are actively looking for what you are giving away. And you might be surprised – people jump at the chance of grabbing bulk clothing in the size they need. At least that has been my experience living in the Sydney metro area.
Often it is someone new to the country, or they have moved recently or they have had a sudden life change and need some clothes – quick and for free.
So create a listing on Marketplace and list the items for free. And make sure you post the listing to freecycle or buy nothing groups in your area (you need to join these groups before posting).
Creating a post for Marketplace is super easy. Here is what I do:
- Lay each item out on your bed or the floor, removing any items that have stains or tears.
- Take a picture, making sure it gives an overall shot of what’s on offer. I found it sufficient to take shots of many items at once, rather than each item one by one (that would be exhausting!)
- If you have a lot of items, you may need to group your clothing into categories – singlets, shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, dresses, outerwear etc and take photos of clothes as a group in each category
- Write a description that covers the type of clothing, the quantity of clothing and the size.
- For damaged clothing that can still be worn, you can take close-up shots and attach them to the end of the listing. Make sure you update the listing description to note which items are damaged. Some people are happy to accept these for free.
With this approach, it shouldn’t take long to take photos, write a description and get a listing up.
This is not exactly a charity but it is the best option to deal with clothing that will not be accepted by the charities mentioned previously.
Donating a bulk lot of clothes
Donating to friends and family and using Facebook marketplace and freecycle groups is a nice and convenient option for donating a bulk lot of clothes. But if that does not work for you, then well-known charities like The Salvation Army, Red Cross and Vinnies are worth considering.
BUT I recommend that your clothing is in very good condition and of a type likely to sell well in Australia if you end up donating to these larger charities.
If you want to know more about what is meant by “very good condition”, have a read of Donating Clothing? Know What You Can or Can’t Donate.
Why not mention these charities earlier?
Well, there is a risk that donations to these charities are sold overseas, after which they could end up in any number of places. At best it could be resold at a profit and benefit those that import used clothing. At worst, it ends up flooding overseas markets with items that can not be sold and eventually ends up in landfill or polluting waterways.
You can read more about this here: What REALLY Happens to Donated Clothes in Australia?
The risk of the very worst happening is less if the clothes donated to these charities are in very good condition and the type that would sell well.
Want to know what type of clothing sells well? This is also covered in Donating Clothing? Know What You Can or Can’t Donate.
So if you have high-quality clothing on hand, you can take them to stores run by the Australia Red Cross, Salvation Army, Vinnies, Lifeline, Good Sammy and others like them.
To find a charity near you check out this website: OpShop.org – Australian OpShop
What about donating clothes through charity bins?
I avoid these because most of them are commercially operated. Commercially operated bins take your clothing donations and sell most of your donations to overseas markets.
There are some bins run by charities but even then, there is a risk your donations end up overseas. And it can be hard to tell the difference between bins run by charities and those run by commercial operators (like the one pictured above – looks like it’s run by a charity but if you read the fine print, you’ll see it is commercially operated. They’ll take your clothes to sell for a commercial profit).
So hopefully now if you have clothes to donate, you know where to go. I have covered several options from donating clothes to charity and other ways you can get clothing to those in need.
These are options that ensure your clothes stay out of landfill and are responsibly donated. As tempting as it can be to dump everything at a second-hand store, I encourage you to explore the alternatives I have covered.
It’s a little extra work to find the right place for your unwanted clothes but it’s worth the effort because through these conscious choices, we can collectively work towards a more sustainable future 🌎
xxx Tahsin
FAQ
What do I do with clothes that are not good enough for charity?
If your clothes are not good enough for charity, you will need to consider other options centred around reusing clothing for rags or other purposes or sending clothes to a sorting facility that will find a way to reuse your clothing, ensuring it does not get sent to landfill.
These other options are covered in: What to Do With Clothes That CANNOT be Donated.
Is there a male equivalent to Dress for Success?
There is a male equivalent to Dress for Success in Australia and that is Dress for Work in Sydney’s West and Wear for Success in South Melbourne.
Dress for Success run in Bankstown, Sydney and you can find out what you can donate here: https://dressforwork.org.au/get-involved/donate/
Wear for Success runs in South Melbourne and you can find out what you can donate here: https://www.readyset.org.au/donate-support-or-volunteer-today/donate-support-or-volunteer
A Heads Up: This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. Also as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products and services that will help you take steps towards a more sustainable life and will not recommend anything that does not align, in some way, with these values.
