Where do you donate your used clothing?

Used clothing is a big business in Ontario, so big that competition for clothing donation is sparking turf wars between operators of charity bins.

Pastor Dave Kennedy, of Orangeville,Ont., says the used clothes that go to the Salvation Army provide a significant source of good value. (Marc Baby, CBC)"People are getting beat up because these things work as a territory.... We have orders from the company, like don't let competition around you," said one man in the industry. He spoke to CBC News on condition he not be identified.

In 2010, Canadian exports of worn clothes were valued at $174 million. Ontario's share of that market is over $132 million. Most of the clothes went to African countries, India and Pakistan.

In some cases the bins are placed by for-profit companies, with only a small portion of the proceeds going to the "support of local charities."

A spokesman for the Salvation Army, which collects the clothes from its own bins and returns all the profit to the Salvation Army, says their bins are a "lifeline for the donations that people provide our thrift stores."

Pastor Dave Kennedy said he's surprised that tens of millions of dollars are being made in Canada in the used-clothing business.

"I'm staggered. Never, never considered that there'd be that kind of money involved in the surplus recycling of clothing. It's amazing," he said.

Where do you take your used clothing when donating it? What has made you choose one outlet over another? Let us know in the comments below.



(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)