Are you often unsure about what to do with all of the old clothes that you no longer wear? If they’re still in great condition, it feels wasteful to simply throw them away. But if you’re trying to create a minimalist capsule wardrobe, keeping them in your closet isn’t an option either. Instead of letting these usable items of clothing languish wastefully, what if you could give them another purpose, a new life?
Well, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways you can contribute towards reducing, repurposing and recycling old clothes. Read further to learn some tried and true methods that will help you find a more eco-friendly way to deal with old clothing.
Are you often unsure about what to do with all of the old clothes that you no longer wear? If they’re still in great condition, it feels wasteful to simply throw them away. But if you’re trying to create a minimalist capsule wardrobe, keeping them in your closet isn’t an option either. Instead of letting these usable items of clothing languish wastefully, what if you could give them another purpose, a new life?
Well, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways you can contribute towards reducing, repurposing and recycling old clothes. Read further to learn some tried and true methods that will help you find a more eco-friendly way to deal with old clothing.
First Thing’s
First: Reduce
Fortunately for all of us -- and the planet -- people are finally becoming far more conscious of their environmental impact. Over the last few decades, textile waste has grown significantly, and the fast fashion industry is one of the major contributors towards this waste. They produce clothes that are not meant to last long and wind up in landfills after only a few wears. Added to this, fast fashion brands release new collections, new styles, and new designs all the time. But constantly trying to keep up with the latest trends is a fast track to buying excess clothing. There is nothing wrong with buying clothes that you need or can afford, however, indulging in fast fashion in high volumes is a burden on the environment. Now that we're aware of the serious problem of textile waste, it's our job to do something about it. This is where the concept of ‘Reduce’ comes into play.
Here is a list of few things that you can do to decrease your clothing purchases:
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Create thoughtful shopping lists
In order to prevent yourself from buying everything that you see and like, create a list of the types of clothes you need to buy beforehand, then stick to it! Try to limit yourself to a set number of pieces in the list and add only those clothes that will complement or enhance your existing wardrobe.
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Learn basic mending
Try your hand at sewing garments with basic tears or that are slightly ill-fitting. Instead of buying new clothes all the time, mending older clothes will help you reduce new clothing purchases. It might also become a new hobby for you to enjoy.
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Buy high-quality clothes
Choose quality over quantity when buying new clothes. You might get sticker shock at first with clothing made from higher quality material. But when you break down the expense by cost-per-wear rather than up front investment, you’ll find it’s actually more economical than buying fast fashion pieces. Higher quality, timeless pieces will stay with you longer if you take great care of them and will reduce your need for new clothes.
Here is a list of few things that you can do to decrease your clothing purchases:
-
Create thoughtful shopping lists
In order to prevent yourself from buying everything that you see and like, create a list of the types of clothes you need to buy beforehand, then stick to it! Try to limit yourself to a set number of pieces in the list and add only those clothes that will complement or enhance your existing wardrobe.
-
Learn basic mending
Try your hand at sewing garments with basic tears or that are slightly ill-fitting. Instead of buying new clothes all the time, mending older clothes will help you reduce new clothing purchases. It might also become a new hobby for you to enjoy.
-
Buy high-quality clothes
Choose quality over quantity when buying new clothes. You might get sticker shock at first with clothing made from higher quality material. But when you break down the expense by cost-per-wear rather than up front investment, you’ll find it’s actually more economical than buying fast fashion pieces. Higher quality, timeless pieces will stay with you longer if you take great care of them and will reduce your need for new clothes.
Textile Recycling: What’s Eligible & Where to Drop It
Textile Recycling: What’s Eligible & Where to Drop It
The word ‘recycling’ is most often associated with plastic bottles, cans, paper, and cardboards. It is interesting to know that clothes can also be recycled; though only a few find their way to a recycling plant. While consumption remains high, recycling for clothing is often an overlooked option. Textile recycling or clothes recycling, is the process of making use of clothes over again after they have been produced by converting them into alternative useful products. Handbags, backpacks, shoes, and belts can also be recycled.
Here are a few brands that offer their own recycling programs where you can drop off your old stuff and it can be used in a different way:
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Patagonia
Patagonia offers its own recycling program for clothes that can no longer be worn. Clothes can be dropped off at their retail store. Patagonia also offers a different option for clothes that can still be worn through their program called Worn Wear’.
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Levi’s
Levi’s with the help of ‘Blue Jeans Go Green’ brings a recycling program for denim right into their retail stores. They accept any old pair of denim jeans to recycle, shred, and produce housing insulation material.
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Nike
The popular shoe brand Nike has its ‘Reuse-A-Shoe’ program in which they recycle old athletic shoes through Nike Grind. All you need to do is just drop your shoes at a Nike retail store and Nike uses the materials for various projects including basketball courts, football fields, running tracks, new shoes, and even in the design of their retail stores. This program is currently available only in North America and Europe.
If you’re still not sure what to do with your unusable clothing, use Earth 911’s recycling center search
to see if there’s a textile recycling center near you.
DIY & Repurpose Old Clothes
Into Something New
There are plenty of other ways to reuse clothing with the help of easy and quick ‘Do it yourself’ tutorials. Repurposing may give a garment a new look, such as altering old jeans and creating summer shorts out of it. Also, DIYs might turn your clothes into something else altogether, for instance, an old t-shirt can be given transformed into an everyday tote bag. Some ‘DIYs’ might only need a pair of scissors and a few stitches, while others require a little more time and effort. With the number of ideas available, it’s easy to find something that will work with your aesthetic and skill level. Here are a few basic DIY ideas for old clothes to help you repurpose your clothing:
- Plain old t-shirt to a beautiful tie dye top: You can even keep it eco-friendly by using all-natural dyes made from fruits and vegetables. Check out this tutorial from Shmoxd on Youtube
- Denim jeans to a stylish denim sling bag: Denim is a great material to repurpose in many ways, but a cute, handmade denim bag might just take the cake. Here’s a tutorial from Wonderful DIY to help you on your way.
- Colorful t-shirt to an adorable headband: There are many ways to take t-shirt scraps and turn them into gorgeous headbands, but this no-sew DIY from The Everymom only takes 5 minutes!
- Old sweater to a warm and cute beanie: AwesomenessTV can teach you how to use the natural hems of a worn out sweater and a few crafting items from around the house to make an adorable beanie that will keep you warm throughout the colder winter months.
- Upcycled fabric scraps to a knitted doormat: This tutorial for a DIY doormat from used clothing scraps is a little more time intensive than others, but will give you a completely unique, statement decor piece that you can use for years to come.
Donate Gently Used
Items for Reuse
Clothes that are in good condition but don’t fit you or your style anymore should be donated to others. When you’re not sure if it’s time to donate a piece of clothing or keep it to wear later, just follow a simple rule: if you haven’t worn that item for a year or more, you should donate it. If it’s in your regular outfit rotation, go ahead and keep it!
Before passing it along to someone else, make sure to check that the garment has no major holes and tears. One needs to always keep in mind that nobody wants to wear clothes that are falling apart.
Contributions can be made to organizations or charities that accept clothing as donations. Some organizations might even accept worn-out clothes that they fix before handing them to others. Local thrift stores also accept old clothes. Before donating, make sure to wash the clothes properly so that they are clean and new for the next owner. Donated clothes can help people who don’t have the money to buy new clothes. They can also be of great help to disaster victims during some of the toughest moments of their lives.
The following are some places to donate clothes to:
Sell Used or Like-New Clothes for Cash
If you want to make some quick cash, then it is also possible to sell your old clothes. Often, clothes that haven’t been worn much appear brand new and online platforms help you find potential buyers who will reuse your old clothing or give them new life. However, it is important that you provide a complete and accurate description of your garment so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.
Social platforms where you can make money with old clothes are:
If the pieces you’d like to sell are vintage, then Depop is an excellent option. Buyers come to the site to shop for unique items at reasonable prices. The app is easy to use and gives you access to potential buyers worldwide.
Unlike many other online marketplaces, Vinted doesn’t charge sellers fees to list your gently used clothing, and also connects you to a global market of secondhand shoppers. Their mission statement is that “good clothes should live long”, and we’re here for it.
As one of the most well-known online consignment shops, ThreadUp has been working toward a more sustainable fashion future for the last decade. Not only do they offer an easy-to-use app for buying and selling secondhand clothing, they also use a portion of their profits for the Circular Fashion Fund to support small businesses with sustainability goals.
If you want to pass along the responsibility of packaging and shipping items you sell, try a local consignment shop that can handle all the details for you. You’ll still get paid when the item is sold, but the sale might take a bit longer due to the smaller buying pool. By selling locally through a shop, you can also help reduce the carbon footprint created by the shipping and handling process of online stores.
Swap Unwanted Clothingfor Something New to You
Swap Unwanted Clothing for Something New to You
Probably my favorite idea about what to do with old clothes will not only help give your old clothes a new life, it will also be a lot of fun! Try a clothing swap with your friends, where everyone brings their unwanted clothing items - and maybe a bottle of wine - so you can all refresh your closets in an environmentally friendly way. You’ll have dozens of options to choose from by mixing and matching from a variety of styles you’ve secretly coveted. It’s a great way to try out new styles or trends without spending any money at all AND reducing textile waste.
Here are a few tips for you to host the best clothing swap possible:
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Size:
Consider size inclusivity and ensure no one feels left out. It might help to discuss beforehand a range of sizes that everyone will be bringing to make sure there’s something for everyone to browse. -
Numbers:
Set a fixed number of clothes that everybody brings. This will result in equal contribution and a successful clothing swap. -
Setup:
Make your setup neat and presentable. Declutter beforehand and present the clothes in an organized manner.
If your friends aren’t close by or a get-together just won’t work out, you can also try online options like Swap Society.
To conclude, we all understand that we have already done enough harm to our environment. Now, protecting it from further damage is the need of the hour. Huge dumps of textile waste is a serious matter and it should be avoided at any cost. We should all feel responsible and help reduce waste to create a better environment to live in.
We, at Laflore, have also worked constantly towards making the planet greener.
We always make our products durable
and long-lasting, thus reducing waste.
We are continuously trying to improve our surroundings and contribute towards a more sustainable and more beautiful planet. If you’d like to learn more about how Laflore works to benefit the environment, read Our Eco-Friendly Promise.
