outerwear Archives - Chicago Textile Recycling

Ousting Outerwear – Where to Go Part 2

January 8, 2026December 10, 2025

Six years ago we posted “Where to Recycle Winter Wear” about recycling coats, scarves, boots and other cold weather items with us at Chicago Textile Recycling, or donating to one of many coat drives in the Chicagoland area. Because it has been a few years and some options have changed, we thought it would be a good time for an update on the latest “coat and more” collections in our greater Chicago area.

Chicago Bears Coat Drive

The Chicago Bears, Jewel-Osco, Salvation Army and Shur-Way Movers have teamed up for the 37th Annual Coat Drive. This coat drive runs until February 16 and benefits those in need. Call ahead to your local Jewel-Osco or click on the link to find which stores are accepting winter coat donations. If you are in need of Winter coats for you and your family, please reach out to Salvation Army (info also at the link) to find out more info.

Cradles to Crayons Chicago

With children constantly outgrowing items, this winter weather drive is an easy choice to help those in need in our very own Chicago area. Cradles to Crayons runs “Gear Up for Winter” with many options on how to donate winter weather items. From collection bins around Chicago, to hosting a coat drive in your area (or virtually), to fulfilling their Amazon wishlist, and volunteering in their warehouse, there are numerous ways to help children in need get the necessary winter weather items to keep warm this year.

“Winters in our region are brutally cold, and rising energy costs force many households into “heat or eat” decisions. 1 in 2 children in Chicagoland face Clothing Insecurity, and without winter coats, boots, and other warm essentials, kids risk health issues and are often excluded from recess and play.

87% of our Service Partners say they rely on Cradles to Crayons to provide children’s essentials at no cost. With your help, we can keep Chicagoland children safe and warm this winter.” (Cradles to Crayons Chicago)

TaskForce Coat Drive

Another option for those in Chicago is the TaskForce Keep our Community Warm coat and winter weather item drive. It is located at TaskForce Prevention & Community Services at 9 N Cicero Ave in Chicago. They accept new and gently used coats of all sizes, adult and children. They also accept warm winter hats, scarves and mittens.

One Warm Coat

A further option for donating winter coats is with One Warm Coat, a national organization started by one woman that gave one coat to someone in need. The website has a search engine to find local sites in Chicago where you can drop off winter coats for those in need.

Ousting Outerwear Options Abound

In addition to these organizations we’ve listed above AND the option of donation to Chicago Textile Recycling, there are likely more…potentially many more…ways to share our excess winter wear this year. From simple clothing donations to hosting drives to donating money to volunteering your time, there are so many ways to help those in need stay warm this Chicagoland winter. Please reach out to us with any questions via our website or social media pages for information about where to donate in your area. Thank you for recycling your textiles and helping those in need.

Recycling

Back to School

August 18, 2022

The time has come…that time of year when children ages five to eighteen, and sometimes younger and many times older, are making preparations to return to school. For some this is full of worries: Who will my new teacher be? Will I like him/her? Will I have friends in my new class? And for many this is full of excitement: I can’t wait! I get to see all of my friends again. Mommy/Daddy/Grandma always takes me back to school shopping. Whatever your children may be feeling as school approaches and these first few weeks of school begin, we are wishing each of you a great year. And as you head to the stores for back to school shopping and return home to reevaluate dressers and closets and stand amazed by how tall your child has grown over a few short summer months, we are here for all of your “no longer fits or too worn out” needs.

My! How You’ve Grown!

The days are long and the years are short, and children never stop growing it seems. Especially as the seasons change and your children start wearing pants and long sleeves, it becomes quickly apparent just how much they have grown. Chicago Textile Recycling accepts all children’s clothing and shoes, even those that are stained, torn and very worn. Here is a list of our acceptable items and the following are some categories to sift through as you reassess what still fits.

Pants and Shorts

Just like in our blog on Spring Cleaning, it’s important to have lists or categories of what to go through as you are cleaning out. The first textile it seems children outgrow are pants. Seemingly overnight they can grow another inch no longer fitting their entire wardrobe of pants. Similarly shorts can go from fitting at an appropriate length to being too short or too tight as waists expand likewise.

Shirts

In similar fashion to pants, long sleeved shirts is another category that can change overnight. As arms lengthen, sleeves that once fit down to the wrist can a day later be much shorter. T-shirts also can quickly go from hip-length to midriff proportions, necessitating a trip to the donation pile.

Pajamas

Closely related to pants and shirts, pajamas too can grow shorter and tighter over years, or even months. One big growth spurt can lead to an entire collection of pajamas no longer fitting. Back to school is a good time to sift through as seasons also change around this time and little ones will move from pajama shorts to pants and even fleece or flannel.

Underwear and Swimsuits

Another category to clean out is underwear and swimsuits. As bodies grow bigger and longer, these textiles can grow tighter and shorter, deeming them inappropriate to wear. As children move out of swim season and into Autumn as they start school, it is a good time to go through swimsuits and see what can be donated to those in need.

Socks and Shoes

Bodies grow in length and waists grow in circumference, and feet grow as well through the years. Back to school is a great time to reassess what size feet your children have. Typical of back to school shopping, new shoes are oftentimes purchased to complete the look so knowing what size feet your little ones have is necessary. When they size up, make sure to go through shoes and socks and donate any of these that no longer fit.

Outerwear

The last category to clean out is outerwear. Jackets and coats, hats, gloves, snow bibs and scarves, these items typically only last a few years at best as bodies change and grow. Quicker than we realize, soon after school begins, temperatures will cool and many of these will be needed. As you sift through other clothes and shoes, make sure to look through these items too so that you know what you need for the Fall and Winter ahead.

Back to School Shopping

After we clean out all of the ill-fitting and worn out textiles, it is time to get ready for the school year ahead. For many this means heading to malls or stand alone stores for new item purchases. However, this could also mean thrift shopping and consignment sales for barely worn and new to you purchases. If your children have grown a complete size up in shoes or clothing, buying everything new will likely require more than your budget will allow. At Chicago Textile Recycling, we strongly encourage donating textiles AND buying gently used textiles when in need of clothing and shoes. This cuts down on textile waste and environmental harm from creating so many new items. Read more at our blog here on why donating textiles and buying used is important.

As you complete your cleanout of children’s clothing and shoes for the new school year, please contact us to locate your nearest donation bin or partner resale store. And HAVE A GREAT YEAR!