I’ve got a confession. For years, I chucked worn-out jeans straight into the trash without a second thought. Blown-out knees, busted zippers, that weird inner-thigh rub-through that happens to every pair eventually — into the garbage they went. Then I started actually paying attention to what denim can do after its pants career is over, and now I feel like an idiot for all the material I wasted.
Here’s the thing: denim is one of the toughest fabrics you’ll ever own. It doesn’t just stop being useful because you can’t wear it anymore. A single pair of jeans took roughly 1,800 gallons of water to produce, from growing the cotton to finishing the fabric. That’s a swimming pool’s worth of resources sitting in your closet. The average American throws away about 70 pounds of clothing per year, and a big chunk of that is denim that could have had a second life.
So before you bag up those old Levi’s or Wranglers, here’s what you should actually do with them.
Fix Them First — It’s Cheaper Than You Think
I know this sounds obvious, but most people skip this step entirely. A small hole, a blown seam, even a busted zipper — these are all fixable. Your local tailor can patch a knee or repair a seam for $10 to $20 in most cases. A zipper replacement runs about $15 to $25. Compare that to $50 or $60 for a decent new pair. If your jeans didn’t come from a brand that offers denim repair, a neighborhood tailor is your best bet before you try anything online.
For the DIY crowd, darning a small hole takes about 15 minutes with a needle and thread. YouTube has a million tutorials on it. You don’t need a sewing machine. You just need a needle, some sturdy thread (I like Coats & Clark heavy duty from Walmart — it’s like $3), and maybe a scrap of fabric for a patch. Iron-on patches from the craft aisle at Walmart or Dollar Tree work too, and they hold up surprisingly well in the wash if you also stitch the edges down.
Turn Them Into a Tote Bag in Under an Hour
This is the project I recommend to everyone who’s never sewn anything in their life. Cut the legs off at the crotch seam. Turn the jeans inside out. Sew the bottom shut in a straight line. Flip them right-side out. You now have a bag. The waistband is the opening, and the belt loops can hold a carabiner or keychain. The original pockets stay intact, so you’ve got built-in compartments for your phone and keys.
For straps, cut two long strips from the legs — about 3 inches wide and 24 inches long. Fold them in thirds lengthwise, sew them flat, and stitch them to the inside of the waistband. The whole thing takes maybe 45 minutes if you’re slow about it, and you end up with a bag that’s tougher than anything you’d buy at Target for $15.
The Back Pockets Are Worth More Than You Realize
Every pair of jeans has two back pockets, and those pockets are already finished — hemmed edges, stitching, ready to go. Cut them off with about half an inch of surrounding fabric and you’ve got instant mini pouches. Sew four or five of them onto a strip of denim or a piece of canvas and hang it on the wall. That’s a pocket organizer for your craft room, mudroom, or kid’s bedroom. My daughter uses one next to her bed for her phone, hair ties, and bookmarks.
You can also sew a pocket onto a throw pillow to make a remote-control holder. Sounds silly until you stop losing the remote in the couch cushions every single night. Just hand-stitch a pocket onto an existing pillow cover. Done.
Make Coasters and Placemats That Actually Last
Denim coasters are dead simple. Cut squares about 4 inches by 4 inches. Stack two or three layers. Sew around the edges. That’s it. They absorb condensation, they don’t slide around on the table, and they can go right in the washing machine. If you want to get fancy, use pinking shears on the edges for that frayed look. A decent pair of pinking shears runs about $8 to $12 at Walmart or JOANN. Just don’t use your fabric shears on paper — it dulls them fast. Keep separate pairs.
For placemats, go bigger — about 12 by 18 inches. Two layers of denim with the edges stitched give you a placemat that can handle hot dishes without scorching the table. They’re washable and basically indestructible. I’ve had a set for two years and they still look good.
Dog Owners, Listen Up
If you have a dog that destroys toys, denim is your friend. Cut three strips from a jean leg, each about 2 inches wide and 18 inches long. Knot them together at one end, braid them tight, and tie off the other end. You’ve got a tug toy that’ll last way longer than the $8 rope toys from PetSmart. My lab went through store-bought toys in a day. The denim braids last a couple of weeks, and they cost literally nothing to make.
Fair warning: once the toy starts falling apart, take it away. You don’t want your dog swallowing strips of fabric.
A Quick Note on Stretch vs. Non-Stretch Denim
People ask me this all the time: do stretch jeans work for projects? Short answer — yes, about 80 percent of the time. Stretch denim has a little spandex or elastane mixed in, which can make it slightly harder to sew flat, but it’s not a dealbreaker. The main thing is don’t tug and pull the fabric while you’re working with it, or it’ll warp. If you’re making something that needs to hold its shape — like a bag or a stiff coaster — iron some fusible interfacing onto the back. You can grab a yard of medium-weight interfacing at JOANN for about $4 to $6. It stiffens the denim right up.
Also, invest in a jeans needle if you’re using a sewing machine. Regular needles will skip stitches on denim or break on the thick seams. A pack of jeans needles is about $4 at Walmart. They have a reinforced shaft and a sharper point that pushes through heavy fabric without drama.
Sell Them or Trade Them for a Discount
If your old jeans are still wearable but you’re just done with them, don’t trash them — sell them. ThredUP, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace all work. Name-brand jeans in decent condition can pull $10 to $30 easily. Just wash them first. Nobody wants to buy jeans that smell like your garage.
Several retailers will also give you a discount when you bring in old denim. Madewell partners with the Blue Jeans Go Green program and gives you a credit toward your next purchase. PAIGE offers 20 percent off when you trade in old jeans. Gap has a similar setup. Even Boot Barn gets in on this. Your old jeans get recycled into housing insulation — which is actually pretty cool — and you walk out with money off a new pair.
Recycle Them the Right Way
If your jeans are truly done — ripped beyond use, stained, whatever — you still have options besides the trash can. The Blue Jeans Go Green program has diverted over 1,950 tons of denim from landfills. They partner with Bonded Logic to turn old jeans into UltraTouch Denim Insulation, which gets used in Habitat for Humanity homes across the country. You can drop off jeans at participating Levi’s, Madewell, and Gap stores.
H&M also accepts denim (and any other textile) at their stores. They sort everything for reuse or recycling. American Eagle partners with Give Back Box, so you can actually mail in old denim for free.
You Can Even Compost Them (Seriously)
If your jeans are 100 percent cotton — check the tag — you can compost them. Cut them into small strips or pieces to speed up decomposition, and remove anything that won’t break down: the zipper, the metal button, rivets, and any synthetic thread. Most denim thread these days is polyester, so pull out what you can. Toss the cotton pieces into your compost bin along with your usual greens and browns. They’ll break down over several months.
One thing: if the jeans have any kind of special coating, heavy distressing chemicals, or if they’re a cotton-polyester blend, skip the compost route. Those synthetics won’t break down and you’ll just end up with weird plastic-y shreds in your garden soil.
Where to Find Free Denim for Projects
If you get hooked on denim projects and run out of your own old jeans, thrift stores are loaded with them. Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local consignment shops often have jeans for $1 to $5. Hit the clearance racks. Nobody cares about size or style when you’re cutting them apart. Your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook is another goldmine — people are constantly trying to get rid of old jeans. Just post that you’re looking for them and watch the offers roll in.
When you’re shopping for project denim, look for different washes and shades. A quilt or rug made from all the same shade of blue looks flat. Mix in light wash, dark indigo, and black denim for contrast. Also, thicker non-stretch denim from brands like Carhartt or Dickies is great for heavy-duty projects like rugs and bags, while thinner stretch denim works better for smaller stuff like pouches and jewelry.
The point is simple: there’s almost no reason to throw jeans in the garbage. Whether you fix them, cut them up, give them away, recycle them through a store program, or toss them in the compost pile — there’s always a better option than the landfill. Start with one project. Make a tote bag or some coasters this weekend. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll start looking at every worn-out pair differently.
