As part of Secondhand September, I promised to answer the question of what to do with clothes and shoes that you no longer need, but have seen better days. Yes, you could dispose of them in landfill but I would encourage you not to based on the grim fact that around 350,000 tonnes of our cast-offs already end up there every year. So what else can you do that is kinder to the environment?
1/ Use textile recycling bins
If you are taking a trip to your local tip, why not put your used clothes and shoes in the recycling units there? Items that are donated this way are frequently down-cycled into chair padding, cleaning cloths and industrial blankets. In fact, the new Renault Zoe uses 100% recycled fabrics for its car interiors. Agreed, the tip isn’t the most glamorous of locations but take comfort from the fact your items will be re-used rather than shipped abroad for landfill or incinerated.
2/ Bag up your clothes as ‘rags’ and donate to your local charity shop
Charity shops will pick and choose the best items for their shop floor but they might still want your threadbare, bobbly jumpers, your paint stained T-shirts and your ruined jeans. Why? Because they can often bundle them up and sell on as rags to be down-cycled in the same way as the recycling centres. If you are doing this, please ask the charity shop whether they accept this type of donation though and clearly mark your bag as rags!
3/ Use a professional recycler (and earn cash at the same time)
There are fabulous recycling firms out there that will buy your old textiles directly from you for cash. For example, Bristol Textile Recyclers pay £300 per tonne of donated textiles, so why not club together with your local school, organisation or charity and you can easily reach that target as a collective.
4/ Donate to homeless shelters
Many homeless shelters around our cities will accept clothing and shoes provided there is some life left in them. Warm, rainproof coats and boots are top of the list but so are socks, jumpers, jeans, rucksacks, sleeping bags and duvets. Before donating, please check they are currently able to accept your items as COVID has sadly suspended some services.
5/ Donate to an animal shelter
If you have an animal shelter in your area, do contact them to see whether they can repurpose your old textiles. Many take clothes to be cut up for cleaning rags but some also accept pillows, duvets, blankets and towels which are put to good use as bedding for their animals. As always, please check beforehand.
6/ Make use of your local shoe shops and cobblers
Did you know, many shoe shops offer a shoe recycling scheme and in Bristol, independent shoe shop SoleLution have been working with Educate the Kids in Kenya for years. They take your donated used childrens shoes, fly them to Africa and spend days fitting out school children with ‘new’ shoes. Similarly A&J Shoe Repairs in Westbury have a shoe collection point outside their shop which is emptied every week by the European Recycling Company.
So 6 ideas for you to consider next time you’re unsure what to do with your cast-offs. There is indeed life left in those clothes and shoes yet!