Unwanted clothes

[Sweetpea70]

What is your opinion on donating clothes, or taking them some where like clothes for cash? I'm asking from a environmentally point of view, not a financial one.
I've given up with Vinted, Ebay & car boot sales for most stuff. The market is flooded with over consumerism.
Thinking about cash for clothes, because at least you get something back.
Trouble is, you read about how much of it, & also items left in clothing banks, gets shipped abroad. This has caused their own local textiles businesses to collapse. I saw one article where anything unwanted ends up on a beach!
Charity shops are inundated with stuff too.
We have wrecked the planet with too much stuff...

Surely with kids it's easy? Do people in the UK not do hand-me-downs any more? Where I am, everyone passes kids clothes on to a friend with smaller kids when it's outgrown. When it's too trashed to pass on, it gets used as rags or goes to fabric recycling.

Have similar problem - family member passed away leaving bags and bags of ties, some unworn.

I think some charity shops are reluctant to take ties as they’re hard to shift.

I wonder if there’s any organisation that recycles things like these, turning them into clothing, bedding soft toys etc?

Had a quick search online but couldn’t find anything.

Thinking about your toddler coat example OP, do you not have a local baby bank you could donate that sort of thing to? I've got one near me that does amazing work with families in need (lots of women fleeing domestic violence,) and they are always in desperate need of good quality baby and kids clothes, toys, and other kids items. It will also stay very local, and won't be being shipped halfway round the world as per your concern about clothing banks.

Thinking about cash for clothes, because at least you get something back.
You get peanuts. Drop it off at a charity shop instead. Ask first.

If they aren't taking it, bundle it and offer it on freegle or freecycle.

For good quality childrens clothes I'd suggest asking at your local one o clock club or childrens centre in the first instance as they may take in/know who does. There are baby banks all over the place that also take and some food banks run free "boutiques" - my local one does where people can come in for clothes, bedding, kitchen stuff etc which is stocked by donations.

There's one (in fact more than one) of those near me too, and they also take toys and books, but they either only take baby stuff (we're past that stage), don't want the sizes/toys I've got because they already have too many, or have a drop off window of something like 10-12 on a Thursday when I'm working (I get that they have limited volunteers but even one weekend drop off a month would help). I eventually gave in and gave most stuff to Anglo doorstep collections, who were quite happy to collect while I was wfh. I must admit I'm not entirely convinced that the stuff sold abroad goes where it's needed, but it as that or the tip.
My current issue is they don't take school uniform, which you'd think would be easy to donate, but the school second hand uniform shop only want branded stuff (apparently no one buys the other stuff secondhand as it's so cheap new) and even the council uniform bank in inundated.

Zero Waste groups on Facebook are good - an alterative to freecycle. I both give away and get stuff from that site.

I try really hard to buy less.

I know what you mean. I was selling a few bits in Vinted recently and the sheer volume of barely worn clothes is utterly horrific. Clothing should be much, much more expensive in my view, to stop people buying it like sweets! I read somewhere that there’s enough clothing already on the planet to cloth the next 6 generations, without manufacturing anything!

I think the rule is that you shouldn’t buy more than 5 new items a year if you want to be sustainable (including shoes and handbags).

Gosh that's a long post. I kind of feel bad that I don't care what happens to them, I just want rid! 🤣🤣

Anyway, you can check out the charities bit on their page if you get the urge.

https://anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk/

I donate them to the local hospice hub.

Having wrestled with this same issue, I decided to donate to the Salvation Army clothing bins. I believe quality stuff is redistributed to families in need or sold in their shops.

It was the best option I could find.

https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/clothing-bank

This is the general problem.

People think no more about what happens to all those bags once it's out of their hands.

It's an environmental disaster. The transport to China to sort, then shipping to elsewhere in the world to move it all along, this is before a vast amount gets dumped.

I suppose because I see it happening all around me, it just makes me hyper aware of the issue.

I do not know the charity linked. So I am not implying they don't do what they say they do. I know there are good organisations that help the needy all over.

But there is just too much waste with nowhere to go.

Yeah but I actually don't care.

I was just suggesting that since you clearly do, you might want to read the 'charities' bit in the link.

Or not 🤷‍♂️

Primark and H&M have recycling points for clothes but I don't know what they do with it...

I'm going to use our local salvation army collection so thank you for the tip PP!

I do as well. They are brilliant, and it all gets passed on to those in need.

Link to their charities page...

https://anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk/charities/

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but haven't RTFT as on the go but a local clothes bank came to mind. Could you see if there is one in your area? There are lots in my county that take clothes in good condition that open to families to come and choose clothes for their children. Lots of them you can donate a bag and then choose some more.

Obviously less helpful with adult clothes but they do exist for adults too, just not so common. Worth looking into though.

The Salvation Army are great for that, as pp have said.

Are there any women’s shelter/community wardrobe type places near you? Mine has a Facebook page and posts quite specific requests (eg boy age 8 or woman size 10-12) as they just don’t have the space for everything but the requests are very regular as there are sadly so many people in need.

If there is a women's refuge nearby they are always grateful for womens and kids clothing and toys - they often have to leave the home with nothing

That's a very good suggestion. I've donated toiletries, but they are in need of clothes as well.

Your local Women's Aid will usually take Women's and Children's clothes in excellent condition. They will also take unused toiletries gift sets.

So many women have nothing when they leave an abusive situation and are put into shelters far away from home, care packages that include clothing and toiletries are essential. An unwanted gift set you have received is a small moment of peace for them.

You need to follow this account on Instagram. Very talented, I think she's Dutch.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheBohemianDream

I’m trying to shop in my wardrobe rather than buy new stuff and not buy anything new for the ‘summer’. Let’s face it, we hardly have enough hot weather in the U.K. to warrant more new summer clothes.

Or Vinted, charity shops. Just not adding to the mountains of clothing already in existence.