Schools Partner with Planet Aid

Planet Aid provides your school/community organization with a free clothing donation bin. Our standard steel bin is 4’ x 4’ at the base, safe, secure, and fully insured.
We take full responsibility for servicing the bins and maintaining the surrounding area.
Our team monitors your collection and schedules regular pickups accordingly. If your bin ever needs an extra pickup, a Planet Aid driver will fulfill the request within 24 hours of your call.
Your school receives 5 cents per pound for the clothes and shoes donated. Proceeds from your school's textile donations are mailed to you on a quarterly basis. On average, our school partners raise $500 annually, but many schools raise well over $1,000 per year.
Our School & Community Program team provides you resources to help promote your bin in your community and to educate your students about the positive environmental and humanitarian impact they are making.
We accept other household textiles such as linens and towels.

Hundreds of schools in the U.S. partner with Planet Aid to raise funds and educate their students about the environmental and humanitarian benefits of reusing clothes and shoes. Over the last 20 years, our school partners have raised over $1.5 million and kept more than 39 million pounds of reusable textiles out of our landfills.

Why Host a Planet Aid Bin?

To be part of a worldwide movement for people and the planet! By helping to keep reusable textiles out of the landfill, the clothes and shoes your school community donates in a Planet Aid bin help conserve millions of gallons of water, prevent thousands of pounds of CO2 emissions, provide the clothing to those who need it, and fund community development projects all over the world. THE CLOTHES COLLECTED ALSO RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR SCHOOL!

How Much Money Can Our School Receive?

We donate back to you 5¢ per pound collected. Our school partners hosting bins raise several hundred to several thousand dollars annually. Many schools apply these funds to other environmental projects on campus (but that is up to you.) We also award prize money to the winners of our clothing drive contests.

How Can We Host A Bin at our School?

It’s easy – just fill out the form above, contact us at education@planetaid.org, or schedule a meeting here. We are happy to talk you through the simple process and answer any questions. We then take care of all arrangements to deliver the bin and make sure it is placed on a mutually agreed upon spot on your campus.

Why is Textile Reuse so Important for the Environment?

The textile industry is the second most polluting in the world. This is because of the extreme amount of greenhouse gasses emitted and the water that is consumed and contaminated in production and disposal. Reusing textiles reduces the demand for production and diverts the material from our landfills (where they create more greenhouse gasses.)

There is a lot of work to be done - 85% of reusable textiles in the United States still go into our landfills or are incinerated!

Let's keep clothing and shoes out of the waste stream and make them available for reuse!

Where Do the Clothes Go?

Planet Aid collects and recycles used textiles to protect the environment and support sustainable development in impoverished communities around the world. Most of the clothes are resold to raise funds for community development projects run by Planet Aid partners. Re-selling the clothes also supplies the vibrant global used-clothing economy, providing thousands of jobs and offering an inexpensive source of clothing in communities where the need is greatest. We also donate large quantities to local organizations that provide clothing to those in need.

What Makes Planet Aid Different?

Planet Aid is the only non-profit textile recycling organization with a K – 12 school program! Our School Partnership Team includes experienced K-12 teachers dedicated to making our program work for your school. We are also the only textile recycling organization directly providing funds to schools and school programs, sustainable agriculture, health, and community development projects in the USA, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Who Services the Bin and How Often?

Friendly drivers have regularly scheduled routes so the bins remain emptied and ready to receive the next deposit. We monitor and service the bins as often as needed, even daily at some locations. We schedule our clothing pick-ups at schools in the evenings so we do not add to campus traffic during the school day. Our drivers are trained to take good care of the donations and to keep the area around the bin clean and tidy.

How Much Work Is Required for us at the School?

No work is required! Once the bin is placed, we take care of everything. We monitor and service the bins as often as needed, even daily at some locations.  We also provide educational and promotional resources for you and your students, free of charge. Contact our team and we will be happy to provide you with the materials that will best support your needs. We can also make presentations (by Zoom) for your class or club, free of charge!

Is There a Time Commitment for Hosting the Bin?

There is no time commitment. We will move or remove the bin upon request.

How Can Students Get Involved?

The Planet Aid School Program focuses on inspiring, educating, and engaging K-12 students. The goal is to encourage and support future generations to become global citizens and leaders, capable of pioneering a healthy, sustainable future for us all. Students are often interested in the community service opportunities we provide, and excited by the environmental impact we help them make. Student clubs or individual students take leadership roles in organizing and promoting clothing drives while educating their peers about the benefits of textile reuse and recycling. Contact us so we can share with you the student engagement opportunities we offer.

Where Should We Place the Bin on Campus?

It is important to prioritize safety and convenience - for your community to access the bin and for our staff to service it. A 4’ x 4’, level, sturdy surface is required. (Grass, concrete, and asphalt all work. - 1 bin is less than half the width of a standard parking lot.) The benefits of the program, for both your school and our planet, are optimized if you choose the most visible and accessible location possible.

What is The Mission at Planet Aid?

Planet Aid’s mission is to inform, mobilize, and inspire individuals and communities to work together to bring about worldwide environmental and social progress. Planet Aid recognizes that the Earth's resources are finite and that good stewardship is essential for the well-being of current and future generations. Our used textile recycling program and the projects we support aim to protect the environment, reduce waste, and increase the efficient use of vital resources.

We work to strengthen and organize communities, reduce poverty, promote small enterprise development, support sustainable local food production, improve access to training and quality education, increase health awareness, and encourage healthy lifestyles. We embrace the principles of equality and self-determination in all that we do and foster cooperation and understanding among people across the planet. Disadvantaged populations are our priority, and we seek to empower them to create lasting positive change.

As a member of Humana People to People (HPP), we are aligned with the UN 2030 agenda. Together with the people in the communities we support and our HPP co-members, we stand by countries as they strive to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

What International Projects are Supported by Planet Aid?

We support a diverse number of sustainable development projects. Click below to learn more about them:

Can Planet Aid Help Us Organize a Clothing Drive?

Yes! We provide promotional materials and logistical support and we collect the clothes, making it a hassle-free experience for organizers and donors. You can also register for our clothing drive contests and win big prizes. Become a partner to receive more info.