Once your coat drive is complete, sort the coats by type (men/women/children) and ensure all items are clean and wearable before delivering them to a local nonprofit.
If you receive coat donations that are dirty, torn, missing buttons or zippers, or are generally unwearable, please discard them or consider finding a textile recycling option:
Some of One Warm Coat’s nonprofit partners accept textile recycling in addition to good-quality donations; those partners are identified by a ♻️ next to their name on their listing on the map.
- Internet search for “textile recycling near me”
- Earth911.com: It offers a searchable map of textile recycling across the country.
- Local and county government websites: Many municipalities provide information about recycling facilities and drop-off centers.
- Recycling companies like Retold Recycling or Trashie: They will send bags to your home that you can fill with textiles and return to them via the mail.
- Local thrift stores and resale programs: Although One Warm Coat advises against delivering your coat drive donations to thrift stores, some organizations like the Salvation Army and Goodwill do accept used textiles for recycling.