Many Americans just have too many clothes — our collective closets are stuffed with mid-range to cheapie clothing brands that we can tire of quickly and replace without breaking the proverbial bank. Like that sweater? Buy it in two colors! Need new jeans? There’s a sale so you can get three pairs! H&M has hatched a crazy-like-a-fox plan to help rid customers of their old duds while giving them incentive to shop for new stuff with a recently announced clothing recycling plan.

Hennes & Mauritz said today it’ll be the first fashion company to launch this kind of clothing collection initiative all over the globe, reports Fox Business.

“From February 2013, customers will be able to hand in used garments in H&M stores in all 48 markets,” it said.

So you don’t actually own any H&M swag? No problem — the stores will take any kind of clothing from any brand in any condition, and in turn, customers will get  store voucher for each bag. A welcome idea for anyone with overstuffed closets and groaning drawers who otherwise might just toss the stuff.

The company is working with a global recycling company called I:Collect, which will take the clothing to a sortin plant in Germany and either reused in new clothing or made into things like cleaning rags or insulation material.

Usually we’re not so quick to pat a big company on the back, but in this case it could at least serve to alleviate the problem of our disposable culture. While in some cities and towns it’s fairly easy to donate a bag of clothing, in others there’s a lack of easily accessible options for giving away clothing.

For example, walk along any street in New York City and you’ll see stoops with bags of clothing that have been rummaged through and then left for the garbage man. It’s a waste, so perhaps a fix like trading old clothes for discounts on new ones will at least turn that act of disposing to something productive.

H&M to Begin Taking Customers’ Old Clothes [Fox Business]

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