Following many clear out's during lock down, and the time at home turning out to be the ultimate in home spring cleaning for many of us, you may have bags of clothes, books, shoes, domestic appliances you no longer want, furniture you are not sure what to do with. Its easy to pop to the recycling centre and get rid. However, read on ...........................................
Charity shops have already shared concerns about the amount of stock that may be coming in, so with a little more thought, you can do more.
1) The Golden Hearted facebook page will tell you how you can donate clothes and domestic appliances for distribution to families in need across the UK.
2) Smalls for All - they collect your bras and underwear (in good condition) to be shipped to Africa and across the UK. Anything they cannot use can be given to textile recycling, where it can be made into padding for furnishings. Find out more at www.wiseuptowaste.org.uk.
3) Together 100 are shipping 3 year old plus summer clothes to Greece, Yemen, Syria and France to support the refugee camps with supplies for the summer months. Shipping is free so they can take good quality summer clothes for adults and children. Contact us for further information at support@sprogstogs.com.
4) Ratidzo Trust - read about their work at https://ratidzotrust.com/about-us1/
5) Research baby banks in your area before you donate to charity shops. These baby banks ensure that items get directly to families in the UK that need them. For example Jigsaw in Woking operate on a voucher system where clients are referred by various front line agencies (e.g. Social Services or SureStart) who will assess need and then issue a voucher where appropriate. The client can then visit the Jigsaw project during its opening hours. http://www.jigsawwoking.org/.
6) Your total guide to recycling your clothes can be found at https://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/recycle-your-clothes.
7) Set up a clothes swap parties with friends and family.
8) Pop out a Facebook post and share on some local groups, offering support to organisations working with orphanages abroad and see if you can find a source in your area that you can donate too. For example, The Mombassa group fill suitcases to travel out to Mombassa when they go to visit friends and family. You may find someone local to you that does the same.
9) Sell them on to a preloved buyer and seller such as us at www.sprogstogs.com. We will also manage all the above donations for you as we have developed contacts over the last 6 months and are more than happy to make sure these clothes and donations get to the people that need them.
If you are thinking about dropping to clothing bins and using other buyers who are transporting goods overseas, check the company and do your research. Many countries are no longer wanting our preloved items to sell on, and many items will find their way to landfill, albeit in a different country. The sale of these items can also be very profitable for some and not always for the people you would hope. Times are changing, countries are developing their own clothing industries and our used clothes are not so appealing anymore, and in some cases are having a negative effect on their economy. One of many articles you may find of interest is below.
Thank you for listening!
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