How to Donate Plastic Hangers

Plastic hangers often cannot be recycled, but can be donated.

You go to pick out something to wear from your closet and notice an abundance of extra plastic hangers. Your recycling center is unlikely to accept them, as most plastic hangers are made from a mixture of plastic resins. A Fox News report from 2008 found that 85 percent of plastic hangers in the United States are not reused or recycled. While recycling is not an option for most plastic hangers, donation remains a possibility.

Instructions

1. Contact local dry cleaners. Most dry cleaners reuse plastic hangers and accept donations.

2. Ask area schools and day care centers if they can use extra hangers. Donate clothing for young children on plastic hangers. Preschools and day care facilities keep extra clothes in case children have spills or bathroom accidents.

3. Bring a few plastic hangers to your place of work if there seems to be a shortage there.

4. Look for clothes you don't wear anymore. Donate them on plastic hangers to a thrift store. Most will take the plastic hangers if you are donating clothes.

Tips & Warnings

• Inspect each plastic hanger for an identification number inside a recycling symbol. Take any that can be recycled to a recycling center.

• Avoid buying plastic hangers since most cannot be recycled. Choose wooden or wire hangers instead.

References

• Timesunion.com: Too Many Hangers? Send Them Packing
• Gotta Recycle: Reuse, Donate or Recycle Your Hangers
• Going Green Challenge: Recyle Household Items
• Earth911.com: An In-Depth Look at Clothes Hanger Recycling