Spring clear out...

Thank goodness we are finally seeing some sun and the evenings are getting longer...I declare it officially spring now, as the cat's have taken to their sunny lounging positions on my plant pots!

So it is the time of year when we are looking forward to buying some new summer clothes, and having the inevitable spring clean and throwing out the old.

But before you throw your old clothes away, I want you to think about where they are going to go. It is shocking to think that 3% of all household waste that is thrown out is textiles, and although that doesn't sound like much....this equates to 1,165,000 tonnes of shoes and textiles that are sent to landfill each year (one tonne being aprox 200 bin bags of waste). 300,000 is currently being collected by charities for the reduce, reuse, recycle campaign but clearly we can see that a lot more can be done.

So where can it go...well the Salvation Army have over 2,000 textile bins in supermarkets and recycling plants across the country along with hundreds owned by Oxfam. Traid are also a great company to support, and I have spotted more of their bins around smaller supermarkets and independents. So even if you cannot get to a local charity shop, it really couldn't be easier to be responsible with your clothing! And don't worry if there is a hole in your old jumper or buttons missing.... people like me are fashioning them into exciting new clothing or they are being sent to Africa, Asia, or Eastern Europe for a second life cycle. It really is that easy to do a really great thing, so this spring clear out your conscience as well as your wardrobe!