30/10/2026
Reuse. Rewear. ReLove. ♻️
Swap it. Donate it. Keep it out of landfill.
Today is Zero Waste Day, so to avoid waste for our social media volunteers we are going to Reuse this post on textile waste that we shared last summer ☺️🙏
In Ireland, it is estimated that 63,000 tonnes of textiles end up in the landfill annually. We all know that the most sustainable way to reduce clothes and textile waste is to avoid creating it in the first place; buy less, avoid fast fashion, buy locally produced, natural fabrics. But when we can’t do that, or when we have clothes that we really need to pass on we have a few ideas to help you give them a second life and avoid the already bursting at the seams clothes recycling pods.
🙋🏻♂️ Share With Friends: Have a clothes swap with friends or share pics with the group chat and pass on your no longer loved to a new home.
📱 Sell them on resale platforms: Use sites like Vinted (no seller fees) or Depop (small commission) to easily list and sell your clothes online.
💻 Facebook Zero Waste Groups: Check if local zero waste groups allow clothes sharing, this can be especially useful when batching children’s clothes by age. Try out Zero Waste Greystones, Circular Living Greystones and Greystones Uniform Swap for school and club uniforms.
🛍️ Donate to Local Charity Shops: Donating good quality clothes can be a super way to give clothes new life while also supporting fundraising for local charities. Consider donating to Vision Ireland’s ReLoved, the Vincent de Paul shop in Greystones, or the Kilcoole Thrift Shop. Just be sure to check each shop’s donation guidelines before dropping off your items—they often have specific requirements to ensure donations are useful and manageable.
📦 Postback - Donate From Your Doorstep: Oxfam Ireland has joined forces with An Post to boost their new joint initiative, ‘PostBack’. Order a free donation bag from the Oxfam Ireland website, fill it with unwanted clothes, and ask for it to be either collected from your doorstep by An Post or drop it at their nearest post office – all free of charge. https://www.oxfamireland.org/postback-donate-by-post-for-free
🛒 Take-Back Schemes: Some brands like H&M, & Other Stories, and Patagonia offer textile recycling or store credit for returns. Check your items to see if you can return them instore instead.
♻️ Upcycle: Join a sewing group and turn them into something new! Or if you’re not feeling crafty, avoid paying for dishcloths and use cut up old T-shirts fabric or towels instead.
What else have we missed? Please tell us how you avoid clothes and textile waste in the comments ☺️🙏
