Every year, more than 300,000 tonnes of clothing ends up going to landfill. According the WRAP, £140m worth of clothing is sent to UK landfill each year.*

It’s a sad fact that so many items end up being wasted, when a large proportion of fast fashion is responsible for unsustainable practices during the manufacturing process. ‘The (clothing) industry is criticised for its unsustainable use of water, land, fossil fuels and energy, along with manufacturing processes associated with toxic chemicals, waste and pollution, and unethical labour practices.’

A part of this waste is made up of seasonal items like halloween costumes, Christmas Jumpers and other items which are only used a couple of times before they end up in the bin. We have decided to try to initiate clothing swaps so that some of these items are saved from landfill and given a new lease of life with a new owner! Many of them are still in good condition when they are disposed of, or end up languishing at the back of wardrobes when they have been outgrown by children.

So far, we have run schemes for Halloween Costume swaps for kids and Christmas jumper swaps. These have had the added bonus of raising hundreds of £’s for charity, as people pay a nominal sum to purchase a pre-loved item that has been donated.

Find out about our Fancy Dress Swap Scheme here.

Find out about our Halloween Costume Swap Scheme here.

Find out about our Christmas Jumper Swap Scheme here.

*https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/textiles