Oxfam urges clothes recycling

Billions of pounds worth of clothes end up in landfill every year, causing a blight on the landscape and emitting methane as they decompose.

The average Brit spends £600 on clothes every year, and throws away £400 worth.

Highlighting this needless waste, Recycle Now has teamed up with Oxfam to encourage people to give their old clothes away rather than chucking them in the dustbin.

Recycling plastic bottles, paper, glass, and aluminium cans has become second nature to most people in the UK, Recycle Now said, but currently only a 39% of people think about the environmental impact of the clothes they thorw away.

Two-thirds of Brits consider themselves ‘committed recyclers’, yet only 16% of textile waste currently gets re-used or recycled.

Clothes dumped into landfill rot and produce methane, while producing new clothes uses up to 10 times more energy than the production of steel or glass.

Oxfam benefits from donated clothes as the money it raises selling them helps to fund its projects helping disadvantaged people around the world.

David McCullough, Oxfam’s trading director, said: “Recycling clothes is just as important as reusing or recycling any other material.

“A huge amount of natural resources go into the production of clothing, so while it’s easy to get wrapped up in fast fashion, spare a thought for the environment, as well as your purse!”

One person’s waste is another person’s new style, according to celebrity stylist Fee Doran - another reason not to throw out old clothes.

“I am passionate about recreating objects and clothing from the past - from old 70’s leather jacket to weird and wonderful knitted tea cosies, and have always shopped at Oxfam, other charity shops, jumble sales and car boot sales,” Doran said

“I see the potential in re-using these things and can visualise the end result, which spurs me to take it apart and put it back together in a different way.”