Tips on how to give

• Never give items that are wet or mildewed – they can contaminate an entire load of usable items.
• Do not give items that have been soiled with hazardous materials, such as oil-soaked rags. These are not reusable or recyclable and can contaminate other usable materials.

If you’d like to learn more about recycling clothes, shoes, and linens, check out these resources:

• Council for Textile Recycling external link
• SMART – Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles external link
• The EPA’s Textile Recycling Page external link

Wondering about whether a collector is a registered charity in Washington state?

Most collectors will have this information on their website, but you can always search the Washington Secretary of State’s website external link to check if an organization is a charity.

If you know of other local organizations working to prevent textile waste, tell us about them at kingcountylinkup@kingcounty.gov.