The image shows a landfill site with a large mound of clothing piled up. There is a cargo ship in the background.
Image credit: Heedayah Lockman. Heedayah says, "This is where the cycle ends. Cargo ships deliver the tangible weight of our consumption to distant shores. Here, a compactor treads over what was once a wardrobe, pressing it into the earth as a permanent scar on the landscape. Each pile is a monument to a trend that didn't last."

How To

7 min read time

Published Feb 14, 2026

How to dispose of your clothes ethically

Tips and advice from a fair fashion activist to help transform our clothing industry

Jemima Elliott Written by Jemima Elliott
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Our How To guides offer practical step-by-step instructions of how best to use your individual actions to contribute to wider movements.

Fair fashion activist Jemima Elliott offers tips and advice on how to dispose of your clothes ethically.

In conversations around sustainable fashion, we often focus on our buying habits – how often we’re buying clothes and where we’re buying them from. However, it is equally important to discuss what happens to our clothes when we are finished with them. 

This is called the ‘end-of-life’ stage in the supply chain. 

Looking after our clothes and keeping them in use or in circulation rather than landfill is a crucial part of tackling textile waste and waste colonialism. Becoming conscious of our textile consumption and waste also requires us to connect to the people who made our clothes – to hold big brands to account and challenge patriarchal and neo-colonial norms in the fashion industry.

These actions may seem small and individual in scale but they are part of a wider culture change. Building a fair and just fashion industry requires action from multiple areas – reducing our waste is just one of them, but they all feed in together.

Looking after our clothes and keeping them in use or in circulation rather than landfill is a crucial part of tackling textile waste and waste colonialism.

Before we get started…

When clearing our wardrobes or confronted with clothes we no longer want, many of us will head straight to the charity shop, in the hopes they will be sold on to a new loving home. But, in reality, only around 30% of all the clothes entering the secondhand market in the UK is actually sold. 

The rest is either incinerated, sent to domestic landfills or sent overseas to places like the Atacama Desert in Chile and Kantamanto Market in Ghana, the largest secondhand clothing market in the world.

Most secondhand clothing shipped abroad is sent to Africa. This practice of former colonising countries like the UK, USA and other European countries sending their cast-off clothing to formerly colonised countries is called waste colonialism.

In reality, only around 30% of all the clothes entering the secondhand market in the UK is actually sold.

So what can we do to stop waste colonialism and how can we dispose of our clothes more ethically?

The image shows an orange t-shirt with a yellow pocket. The washing label instructions are coming out of the t-shirt to emphasise how important it is to care for your clothes properly.

Step 1: Take care of your clothes

A big way to prevent your clothes from going to landfill is to look after them properly. Check the washing instructions, hand wash where necessary, avoid tumble drying where necessary, stop using fabric softener.

I certainly have lots to learn in this area, but I think a willingness to learn and truly take care of our clothes is one of the first steps to reducing fashion waste.

In the image is someone passing a purple t-shirt to someone else who is passing them back a pair of orange loafers in return.

Step 2: Ask friends or family

The first thing I do whenever I have a clear out of clothes is to ask my friends and family. I have passed too-small trousers to my flatmate, received countless t-shirts from my little brother, swapped clothes with my friends and given a cardigan to my Mum.

If enough of you have clothes you no longer want, why not hold a clothes swap with your friends? Make it a fun night to hang out as well as giving your unwanted clothes a new home!

The image shows a pair of orange trousers being mended - we see a needle and threat patching on two purple patches over each knee.

Step 3: Learn to repair and upcycle

Basic sewing and repair skills have been gradually removed from our cultural repertoire as we have been fed a culture of convenience and disposability, But, by bringing these skills back we can reduce textile waste, make our wardrobes more interesting, and feel more connected to what we’re wearing.

I’m not a very crafty person and don’t have lots of skill in this area, but learning to sew and do basic repairs has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my journey as a fair fashion activist. I have covered countless holes with patches and turned a top into a shopping bag, but my biggest achievement has certainly been learning how to replace zips.

The image shows a picture of an orange jacket being uploaded onto a resell site. There are two buttons underneath which say Draft and Publish and a finger is hovering over the button Publish.

Step 4: Sell online

The classic! Vinted, Depop, eBay, Vestiaire Collective, Poshmark… there are so many options for selling your clothes. Each has their different upsides and downsides. Getting your item directly into the hands of someone who will love it and use it while making a bit of cash? You had me at hello.

There is an open brown cardboard box filled with clothes. A pair of orange cowboy boots sit next to the box and a purple belt is hanging out the box too.

Step 5: Donate to small local organisations

Think about the smaller organisations or initiatives in your local area who might be in need of clothing donations. These could be local homeless shelters or women’s refuges, local organisations that support refugees and asylum seekers, or queer groups.

Smaller organisations are a lot more likely to get clothes directly into the hands of someone who will use them, compared to large charity shops or clothing drives. And it supports people near you at the same time!

Th image shows an orange polkadot sleeveless top being opened out of a box. There are three purple arrows in a circle behind it showing how we can keep out clothes in a full circle chain of use.

Step 6: Use reliable takeback schemes

I generally scoff at a lot of takeback schemes, especially if done by a fast fashion giant known for their pollution and overproduction rates (*cough* H&M *cough* M&S). However, there are some rare examples where I actually trust them. One of these is Teemill. Based on the Isle of Wight, they have made ethical clothing for all sorts of brands from BBC Earth to The Green Party and Lush. If you have 100% cotton clothing of any brand you can send them to Teemill who will reuse the fabric as part of their Remill programme.

The image shows someone carrying four neatly folded and ironed tops. There are sparkle marks next to them. The person is wearing bright yellow trousers and an orange long sleeved polka dot top.

Step 7: Think about the condition of the clothes you are donating

A huge reason clothes get sent to landfill or dumped overseas is because soiled, dirty and bad quality clothing is being sent to charity shops.

No matter where you’re sending your clothes or who you’re giving them to, make sure they are clean and in good condition. It’s all about respect for the clothes and respect for the next person to wear them.

Get Involved

To learn more about fashion justice, waste, and garment workers’ rights I recommend starting here:

  • Written by Jemima Elliott

    Jemima Elliott

    Jemima Elliott (she/her) is a freelance journalist, organiser and communicator. She works predominantly on climate justice issues. She has worked on a variety of campaigns, including successfully banned fossil fuel recruitment and fast fashion advertising at her students’ union, campaigning against North Sea oil and gas fields and for a fairer fashion industry with Remake. She has written for publications including Sunday Times Ireland, Shado, Remake and Naked Politics.

  • Illustrated by Heedayah Lockman

    Heedayah Lockman

    Heedayah Lockman is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Glasgow, known for her bright, playful style that brings stories to life with a pop of colour. She mainly works on editorial projects, focusing on lifestyle, politics, and social justice, using art to spark conversation and connection. Over the years, she’s collaborated with clients like Manchester United, shado Mag, and Hachette, adding a fresh, unique touch to their publications.

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