The majority of Australians who pack a bag of clothes for donation take months before actually taking it to a charity shop, with goods instead left languishing in cars or bedrooms for weeks on end.
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That's according to the latest Cost of Giving report from the Australian Red Cross, which found the country has approximately $18.5 billion worth of unworn clothes suitable to be donated to raise money for those in need.
The organisation commissioned a YouGov poll that found 43 per cent of people don't know the best way to contribute to charitable causes and 64 per cent believe they face barriers to giving.
It's prompted a plea for Australians to take part in a donation drive later this month that aims to take the hassle out of the process.
On Saturday, October 21 from 9am to 4pm Uber will pick up clothes from homes for free in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide and take them straight to the Red Cross.
The organisation's head of retail Richard Wood said they were aiming to collect 60,000 kilograms of clothing, which would be enough to stock all of their shops for two years.
"One of the biggest barriers to people donating clothing to charities is convenience and the time that they have," Mr Wood said.
"So Uber and Australian Red Cross have tried to find a solution to that with the clothing drive to make it as easy and convenient as we can."
Psychotherapist Amanda Robert regularly gives clothes to the Red Cross as she works near one of their shops in Sydney but said even she was guilty of putting off physically donating her things.
"I often have bags of clothes in the car, drive around for weeks on end but never get it to the shop even though it's easy for me," she said.
"I think it's going be hugely different with people being able to have things picked up from home and taken straight there."
Clothes must be in good condition and be in a box no heavier than 20 kilograms.
Australian Associated Press
