Clothes call

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What

Having an organised wardrobe full of clothes you love wearing is a great feeling.

It makes it easier to put things away and choose clothes for the day, and when you give unwanted items to charity or friends, you’re helping to solve some big environmental issues too.

The equivalent of a rubbish truck of clothes goes to landfill every second, and clothing is one of the main sources of plastic microfibers entering our oceans.

Help stop this fabric fiasco by sorting through your clothes and giving to charity, or a waste recycling centre textile bank for recycling.

clothes-call

Benefits

For people

Decluttering and donating your wardrobe will bring you satisfaction and will bring joy to someone else. Just think, the items in your wardrobe that you honestly don’t ever wear could become someone else’s most favourite outfit.

You’ll also help charities raise essential funds, simple.

As well as raising hundreds of millions of pounds for charities (£336m in 21/22) and diverting hundreds of tonnes of textiles from landfill, charity shops employ thousands of people and provide your community with accessibly priced outfits.

For planet

From growing cotton or manufacturing polyester from fossil fuels - manufacturing textiles uses a lot of energy and water, and releases microfibres into our environment, including our foodchain and waterways.

Just dyeing and finishing products is estimated to be responsible for 20% of clean water pollution. Making one single cotton t-shirt requires as much water as one person drinks in 2.5 years.

When it comes to carbon footprints the fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions – more than international flights and maritime shipping combined.

How

Empty the contents of your wardrobe onto your bed and sort into four piles.

Still wear it
Put it back with the hanger in backwards and when you wear the item next, put the hanger back the right way. This way you’ll see what you are and aren't wearing regularly, making it easier to declutter next time.

Doesn’t fit
Be honest with yourself, if it did fit would you wear it regularly?
• Yes: Get the item altered.
• No: Donate to charity using doorstep charity collection (like redonate.co.uk) or take them to your nearest charity shop or nearest charity textile bank.

Never going to wear it again
Donate to charity or pass on to a friend.

Past its best
Old pants, bobbly jumpers and threadbare socks can all be recycled. Use the recycling locator to find your nearest option.

If you have something you can't bear to part with, clean itand wrap carefully in acid free tissue paper and store in a box in a clean/dry place.