During the holidays and throughout the year many people want to be charitable and live a more environmentally friendly life, but donating money and living green is not always easy on the pocket book. Fortunately there are very affordable ways to do both at the same time. How? By combing recycling and charity into one act. Below is a short simple list of possibilities.

Clothes: There are many options for recycling clothes. Many churches, shelters and other charity centers accept gently used clothing and then hand them out to people in need, but one of my favorite charitable organizations is Dress For Success. Dress for Success accepts donations of new and gently used suits, business attire and accessories. These items are then given to disadvantaged women, who could otherwise not afford to buy suits and other work clothes, for job interviews and work.

Computer: Old and used computers can also be donated and then sold as a refurbished computer to business, schools, etc. Computer for Schools is a non-profit organization that offers refurbished computers to schools at 1/3 of the cost. The computers are kept out of the landfills and schools are given the affordable opportunity to bring technology into the classrooms for students to use.

Car: Donating a used vehicle has many benefits. Old and used cars can be expensive to repair and are not environmentally friendly. Luckily programs like Teddy Bear Cops accept used car donations. The owner receives a tax deduction for donating the vehicle, and Teddy Bear Cops repairs and sells the car for someone else to use. The profits are then used to help children in need. It’s a win win situation all around.

Cans: Collecting cans for a few cents have come a long way in the past few years. Today Habitat for Humanity with its Cans for Habitat project uses the profits from recycled cans to help build homes. Its easy and affordable for anyone and everyone to participate even children. I think this is a good simple opportunity to show children how to recycle and how it helps people in need.

Cell phones: Recycling cell phones is also a great way to be environmentally friendly and charitable at the same time. There are many cell phone recycling programs and centers available that pay the individual for each recycled phone, but there are few that are used for charity purposes. Charitable Recycling gives individuals and business the opportunity to instead use their profits and donate them to a charity of their choice.

So you see, waste reduction can be as charitable as it is environmentally friendly if you know where and how to donate your unwanted items. It is easy to be charitable and green all at once. In addition, these donations are tax deductible.