Old Clothes Mounting Up?

There are lots of ways to get rid of your unwanted clothes and textiles in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Check out our list of 6 options below:

1. Sell

Companies will pay you per kilo for your old clothes and either send them to people in poorer countries or recycle them. You can opt for selling via online marketplaces eg ebay, which works well for branded clothes in good condition, or clothing bundles by age (ie girls: 5 pairs of trousers 6-9 months). Or you could take the items to a car boot sale and set up a clothing stall.

2. Give to friends/family

If your child has grown out of a size of clothing, you could gift the clothes to one of your friends with a younger son/daughter. Hand-me-downs are always appreciated by parents.

3. Give to a local nursery/daycare group

Check with playgroups and daycare providers in your area – they might appreciate some spare clothing sets to have available in case of any accidents.

4. Donate to charity

Drop off your items to a local charity shop, who can re-sell them if they are in good condition. Some charities have drop-off collection points in some supermarket car parks.

Find a charity shop near you: http://bit.ly/2D8mjOD

5. Recycle

Your local household recycling centre could have a facility to recycle old clothes. Check before you go which items are accepted and where your nearest HRC is.

6. Repair, reuse, re-purpose

You can repair small holes or rips easily using patches. There’s a really great range of iron-on patches so you don’t even need to get a sewing needle out.

One way to reuse stained or ripped clothing is as cleaning cloths. Keep a pile handy to dust, mop up spills and even to dry outside furniture, bikes etc.