Ever wondered what happens to the clothes you donate?
In a viral video that racked up over 3 million views and received hundreds of thousands of likes, TikTok user Rory Gallagher (@roaringtravel) educated his viewers on the reality of what happens with America’s donated items.
“What Americans think happens when they donate clothes,” read an on-screen caption.
Rory mocked well-intentioned Americans who give away their belongings under the assumption that they are used “to clothe some poor African children for free.”
“I’m such a good person,” he teased.
The TikToker then explained that donated items do not always end up in the hands of those in need.
“In reality, it’s more of just a really big business,” Rory said. “Hundreds of millions of dollars, actually.”
The TikToker went on to describe the process that takes donated clothes from Americans’ homes to overseas markets where they are sold. He specifically used footage of a market called Gikomba in Nairobi, Kenya, to prove his point. In the footage, workers can be seen handling and ironing the items so they can be sold in the market.
“Need proof this stuff is coming from the U.S.?” the TikToker asked in the clip.
He backed up his claim by showing that the logos on many of the shirts and sweaters referenced American companies, colleges, and even K-12 schools.
Ultimately, he recognized the business is not particularly profitable for the workers at the market who are responsible for the hard labor.
“The business is so tough,” one of the workers said on camera. “Today, we are just, like, getting like three dollars.”
According to a Washington Post article, some donated items do, in fact, get shipped abroad and resold. The story explained that whether or not your old clothes end up in the hands of those in need largely depends on where you donated them and their condition.
“They could go directly to people in need, be sold in thrift stores, get sent to other countries, or wind up repurposed as rags or another product that uses textile fibers,” it read.
@roaringtravel Gikomba is wild 😲 #kenya #kenyantiktok #nairobi #kenyantiktok🇰🇪 #gikomba ♬ original sound – Rory Gallagher
In the comments section, international TikTok users lamented that they had been purchasing donated clothes that were meant to be free all along.
“So I’ve been buying clothes donated to me?” one viewer wrote. “MY OWN CLOTHES.”
“I have been buying donation clothes that’s meant for me from my American brothers and sisters?” another added.
Others felt less concerned about the apparent future of their donated things and were just happy to get rid of them.
“Idc what they do with it – I just need it out of my house,” a viewer commented.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rory Gallagher via TikTok comment for more information.