Clutter is one of my worst enemies – I honestly feel like I can’t think straight when there is too much clutter around! I’m always looking for opportunities to clear out things that we no longer need or use. At the same time however, I don’t want to continually add to landfill, so I try to be smart about what I do with our pre-loved goods. Here I’ll share with you my tips for the wardrobe clear out and how to find a new purpose for your pre-loved goods that will support a good cause.
Baby items
Baby Give Back is a Gold Coast charity helping families in crisis. They provide donations via social service agencies and social workers who are qualified to assess a family’s need. They accept used items in excellent condition including: bassinets, baths, bottles and feeding items, breast pumps, baby carriers, car seats, change mats, cots, clothing, high chairs, linen, mattresses, nappy bags, portacots, prams, shoes, sleep suits and toys. There are some conditions attached to some pre-loved items, so check the full details at their website.
Sporting goods
Another Gold Coast charity making a difference with your pre-loved goods is Make Ways Foundation. They collect good quality, pre-loved sporting goods to support the opening of the very first not-for-profit Sports Store in Sierra Leone, West Africa. They can accept pre-loved running shoes, footy boots, street shoes, shoe laces, socks, hats, drink bottles, bags, active wear, team gear, balls, sports equipment, exercise equipment, recovery equipment and sports medicine. Find out where their drop off locations are and more info on what they accept here.
Lightly worn clothing
Charity stores are the best destination for those clothing donations that can be worn again. Be sure to sort through your donations to separate out anything that couldn’t be sold on. I like to think, if I wouldn’t give this to a friend, don’t give it to the charity store. Each year, charities spend a fortune on waste charges to get rid of clothing and goods that is in no condition to be resold. PLEASE do not treat these guys like a rubbish bin!! This money could be better used on so many things if we just took a moment to really screen our donations and make them appropriate. Similarly, try to donate by dropping directly into a store. So many donations through the roadside charity bins are damaged and go to waste because unfortunately people throw things like dirty nappies, oil, car batteries etc. into these charity bins! Also, NEVER leave things beside the charity bin. These will likely end up damaged in some way and again, prove useless to the charity.
Ripped, stained or unable to be worn again
All those clothing items that you screened from your charity donation – don’t put them in the rubbish bin!! Save some money on your new purchases by making use of one of the many clothing recycling schemes in place. H&M’s Garment Collecting programme is the world’s biggest of its kind, saving approximately 20,000 tonnes of unwanted textiles from landfill. All you have to do is take any unwanted clothes or textiles, by any brand and in any condition, to one of their stores. Hand in your bag of old clothes at the cash desk and receive a thank you voucher (15% off) to use towards your next purchase. If the clothes or textiles are not suitable for rewear they’re turned into other products, such as remake collections or cleaning cloths, and all other clothes and textiles are shredded into textile fibres and used to make for example insulation materials. Find out more about the scheme here.
