Planet Aid runs yellow clothing bins in 14 states and Washington, D.C., and you can find the nearest one with its online Find a Bin map. It is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charity, so bin donations can be tax-deductible, but independent evaluators disagree sharply about how much of its spending counts as charitable programs, and its past drew investigative reporting and a failed libel suit. This page covers both the practical steps and the record so you can decide for yourself.
Planet Aid, Inc. describes itself as an environmental nonprofit that collects used clothing and shoes, sells them, and uses the money for community development projects in the US, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. It says it has diverted nearly 1.8 billion pounds of textiles and raised more than $100 million for those projects. Planet Aid is a member of the Federation Humana People to People, and its website lists headquarters in Elkridge, Maryland.
Its tax status checks out. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer lists Planet Aid Inc, EIN 04-3348171, as a 501(c)(3) organization with a tax exemption dated October 1997. You can confirm the same EIN in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
Use the Find a Bin map on Planet Aid's site: type an address or tap Find Me to use your location, then get directions. Planet Aid says it services nearly 10,000 bins in 14 states and D.C., grouped around these regions:
Bins sit in parking lots of shopping centers, businesses, schools, and municipal sites, and Planet Aid says hosts pay nothing to have one. If no bin is near you, Planet Aid offers two alternatives: a Mail a Box program for a box of up to 70 pounds, and scheduled home pickup in Massachusetts.
Other bins in your area may belong to different operators. Our clothing donation bins guide explains how to tell who owns a bin.
| Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|
| Clothing, including items with minor tears, stains, or imperfections | Textiles that are badly torn, dirty, wet, or moldy |
| Shoes | Yarn, thread spools, threadbare items |
| Socks, underwear, and bras | Toys and stuffed animals |
| Bedding, towels, curtains, sleeping bags | Furniture and electronics |
Bag your items and do not leave anything beside the bin, which Planet Aid specifically asks donors to avoid. For general condition rules, see our clothing donation guidelines.
Planet Aid lets bin donors request a receipt through an online form that emails it to you. The same page lists per-item value ranges; those are Planet Aid's own estimates, not IRS figures. Under IRS Publication 526, clothing must be in good used condition or better, and when you leave goods at an unattended drop site you should also keep your own record of the date, location, items, their condition, and fair market value. For how values work, see how to calculate your tax deduction.
Planet Aid's Form 990 data on ProPublica:
| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $37,298,175 | $38,982,844 | $13,425,173 |
| 2023 | $42,862,586 | $37,850,608 | $15,109,842 |
| 2022 | $35,666,408 | $35,064,075 | $10,097,864 |
The ratings depend on one accounting question: is the cost of collecting and processing clothing a program expense or a fundraising expense?
The gap between these ratings comes from method, not from different data. Both use the same Form 990.
In 2016, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and NBC4 Washington's I-Team published a series on Planet Aid. The NBC4 report said Planet Aid had received at least $133 million in USDA grants over 12 years despite warnings about possible ties to Mogens Amdi Petersen, founder of a group called the Teachers Group, and reported villagers' accounts that aid projects in Malawi delivered less than promised. The USDA said its own reviews had found no significant concerns but asked its Inspector General to look into the allegations. In a statement through its PR firm, Planet Aid said it had run projects improving nutrition, education, and disease prevention for nearly two decades and would cooperate fully with official audits.
Planet Aid then sued Reveal for defamation. According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the federal district court in Northern California granted Reveal's motion to strike under California's anti-SLAPP law, and on August 11, 2022, the Ninth Circuit affirmed. The appeals court held that Planet Aid was a limited purpose public figure and that no reasonable fact finder could find, by clear and convincing evidence, that Reveal acted with actual malice. The Daily Journal reported that Planet Aid later agreed to pay $1.925 million to settle Reveal's attorney fee claim.
A court ruling that reporting was not made with actual malice is not a ruling that every allegation was proven true. It means Planet Aid could not win its defamation case.