There are many ways you can recycle your clothing and household goods instead of dumping them in the trash.

American Red Cross -- The American Red Cross will come to your home and collect your clean unwanted used clothing. The proceeds from the clothing will go directly to The Red Cross and will benefit disaster relief for more than 200 fires annually; assist the Red Cross's medical transportation for seniors; meals-on-wheels service; and disaster preparedness trainings that touch thousands of people each year.  You can also drop clothes off at the American Red Cross drop box at the Maplewood Department of Public Works, 359 Boyden Avenue.

Essex Recycle and ReUse -- Essex Recycle and ReUse New Jersey, United States  is open to all who want to recycle or reuse that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, or an old door, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself! Everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages.  You have to sign up for a Yahoo group to participate, but this is a very active group and a great way to move along the things you don't need anymore.

FreeCycle --  The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,835 groups with 6,641,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Their mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling their members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.

Goodwill Industries -- Goodwill Industries is a nonprofit provider of education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages, such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities.  At Goodwill, 84 percent of the revenues from clothing and other donations are used to fund our employment and training programs.  The nearest Goodwill dropoff area is at the Maplewood Recycling Center, at 359 Boyden Avenue in Maplewood.

Military Order of the Purple Heart -- If you have clothing or household items that you no longer want that are in usable condition, donating them to the Purple Heart Charity is a way to give something back to the men and women that served our country.  Making a donation is simple to do. Once you have gathered all the clothing you are going to donate, call the Purple Heart Pick-up Service to schedule an appointment to have the items picked up.

Salvation Army -- Proceeds from the sale of clothing and household items are used to fund the many programs offered by the Salvation Army.  You can drop off your goods or schedule a home pickup.

Vietnam Veterans of America -- By donating used clothing and other household items to the non-profit charity, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), you can support veterans. Your donation will help provide essential services to veterans.  You can schedule a free pickup – right at your home, even if you are not there. Their truck driver will leave you a tax deduction receipt.