Free events to reduce clothing waste

Why shop when you can swap! Free events aimed at reducing clothing waste

Gloucestershire residents are invited to come along to two free events to be held in Tetbury later this month.

The events are being organised by Gloucestershire’s Joint Waste Team to help highlight the amount of textiles going needlessly to landfill and to encourage more of us to learn new skills to rejuvenate garments which have lost their appeal or to pass on our unwanted clothing for reuse and recycling.

The first event to take place is a clothes swap on Saturday 11 February (7pm-9pm) at Christ Church, The Chipping in the village. Clothing can be dropped off at the venue between 4pm and 6pm to give time for items to be sorted and hung prior to the swap event starting at 7 pm.  Clothing, and any footwear, bags or accessories, need to be in good clean condition so they can be re-worn or reused.

A second event - an all-day ‘make do and mend’ workshop - will take place on Saturday 18 February, at the Gospel Hall on Hampton Street. Aimed at beginners and intermediates, the workshop will focus on how clothes can be given a new lease of life through simple repairs or alterations.

Councillor Sue Coakley, Chair of the Joint Waste Committee said: ‘Research shows that 30% of the clothes in UK wardrobes have not been worn in the past 12 months, so these events are a great opportunity to declutter, have some fun and learn new skills. Every time a piece of clothing is thrown away, all the energy, water and resources that went into producing it go to waste so we hope we can inspire more people to buy less, waste less and recycle and reuse more.’

‘For those unable to attend, there are still many other ways that unwanted clothing can be put to good use, whether by passing items on to family members and friends, donating to local charity shops or using one of the textile recycling banks located across the county.’

Anyone interested in attending either event should register by contacting the Joint Waste Team on email: waste@gloucestershire.gov.uk as places are limited.

Both events are being supported by sustainability charity, Vision 21 and local volunteers.

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