Charity Clothes Donation Plea

We're being urged to pass on clothes, as research shows nearly half of us throw out clothing every year.

Shelter Scotland wants people to donate to its 37 shops and divert clothing from landfill sites across the country.
 
A separate research found 60 thousand tonnes of watse could be re-used either immediately or after minor repair - a quarter of that is made up of textiles.

According to research, a charity shop can help to prevent up to 34 tonnes of textiles away from landfill each year.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said:
 
“Throwing out clothes and other items that could be re-used by someone else is a real shame when you consider that donating an old jumper or coat could help a family facing the human tragedy of homelessness.
 
“It costs just £10 to help a family or individuals through our free national helpline. We hope that people across Scotland will embrace Pass It On Week and do their bit to help not only the environment, but people facing the housing crisis within their own communities.
 
“We are thrilled to partner with Zero Waste Scotland and will be hosting donation events in each of our 37 shops across the country.
 
“I’ll be doing my bit too and will donate items to my local shop. If everyone does their bit, together we can help to tackle the housing crisis.”
 
Earlier this month Shelter Scotland revealed that almost £2.4billion worth of old, unworn or forgotten clothes are hanging in wardrobes across Scotland – an average of £1,000 per household. [4]
 
According to Shelter Scotland, that means every household in Scotland could help dozens of families and individuals in housing need by donating just a fraction of their unused clothes.
 
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: 
 
“Pass it on Week is all about ensuring items stay in use for as long as possible, and donating things to charity is a great way to make sure your things go on to have another life after you’ve finished with them.
 
“Huge volumes of re-usable items are discarded every year in Scotland and so we’re calling on people across Scotland to get involved and pass something on. Donating to charity has fantastic social benefits, but many people don’t realise there is also a huge environmental benefit to keeping items in use and out of landfill, so by passing things on you can help other people and also help the environment.”
 
Pass It On Week is dedicated to encouraging people to get involved in re-use activity of all shapes and sizes.
 
With over 100 events scheduled across Scotland, schools, community groups and businesses are being asked to take part by donating unwanted items to charity shops, setting up swap shops and organising repair workshops.