How to dispose of unwanted clothes sustainably

I don’t consider myself 100% clutter free but I’ve always been someone quite organised and I enjoy realistic minimalism. I wanted to write this short guide based on my real life experience and the techniques I’ve used to streamline my possessions over the years. I’ve had to move flats 6 times in the past 5 years and, with every move, I learned new tricks to downsize, save space, and organize my stuff.

In this article, I’ll focus on the first step of any slow fashion journey: clearing out your wardrobe. I’ll show you how to do it with the less environmental impact possible.  

What you’ll need:

• A couple of hours or more depending on how much you own
• Water, snacks and a playlist (you can use mine)
• To put your phone on airplane mode but full battery charged
• 8 large bags or baskets
• Paper, clear tape or pin, a printer with ink and a black pen
• A measurement tape 
• Empty boxes and large envelopes suitable for sending parcels 

Sort the clothes you haven’t worn in 1 year or more

They should be easy to spot. They’re often at the back of your closet or stored in forgotten bags under your bed. However, if you can’t remember wearing something, put it in the pile.

Then, line up 8 bags or baskets and create name tags using pen/paper and pins/tape.  

1. Fantasies
2. Heirlooms 
3. Luxuries 
4. Complex pieces
5. Guilty pleasures
6. Hidden treasures
7. Repeat buys
8. Cast-offs 

These refer to 8 common reasons why we don’t wear our clothes. Below is the detail of what you should put in each box. 

Step by step solutions to wardrobe decluttering

• Grab bag #1 (Fantasies) and #4 (Complex pieces) and transfer ‘missing button, hole and dirty’ items from bag 4 into bag 1. You’re going to bring these to a local tailor with your new measurements and creative ideas to patch and mend small defects. 

• Keep the clothes that are very complex to wear or “too sheer to be worn” from bag #4 on the side. I wrote an article about my tips to make clothes fit well when I attend castings and modelling jobs: 10 wardrobe problems and solutions. The answer is probably there.

• Close down bag #2 (Heirlooms). This bag should be stored somewhere easily accessible but not in your wardrobe. You can keep it with the other heirlooms in your house. 

• Measure and photograph the content of bag #3 (Luxuries). Download the Vestiaire Collective app or equivalent and follow instructions to upload items. Set prices low so you’re sure to sell them quickly. I know it’s hard, I’ve been there but the money is already spent, you’re not losing anything. It’s time to move on and not repeat the same mistakes again. 

• Keep this Luxuries bag #3 outside of your wardrobe until its content is sold. You can leave it next to empty boxes and pouches you’re going to use to send your pieces. 

• Bag #6 (Hidden treasures) is the most difficult one to deal with. Most people will either put it back in their wardrobe or donate it to an already overwhelmed charity shop. Too basic or inexpensive to be sold at a good price and not exciting enough to be remembered, these clothes are really unlucky. 

What to do with clothes you don’t wear?

Issue: They don’t fit my new lifestyle // Solution: Give them to your old self. 

Can you think of someone in your circle who knows someone that is living your past lifestyle and could use them? Invite them over (with a few of their friends) and let them grab everything for free. Repeat the process until everything is gone. 

Issue: They’re out of trend or one detail is strange. // Solution: Get creative. 

“Upcycle” that piece of clothing yourself or put it in bag #1, which is going to the tailor. Sometimes swapping buttons, removing shoulder pads, cropping or hiding a strange detail with embellishments can really make a piece of clothing look brand new. 

Issue: They’re boring. // Solution: Put them back somewhere you can see them at all times. 

Out of sight, out of mind. We tend to forget basics such as black tank tops and grey t-shirts and wonder if we ever need them. I think these kinds of pieces really help build coherent outfits and stress less in the morning. My beginner’s guide to building a seasonal capsule wardrobe can come in very handy if you’re trying to live a more minimalist life and wonder what to do with all these basics.

Dealing with clutter

Bag #7 (Repeat buys) is so common. Something fits well so we buy it in different colours or we buy the same design from different brands. Here, I say you need to decide whether or not you’re ever going to ever wear them based on the fact that you haven’t in 1 year. 

• How are the other one you wear all the time? Is it time to replace them? 
• Can you sell them on Vestiaire Collective or other resale platforms easily? 
• Do you know someone who dresses a bit like you and would like it? 

Bag #8 (Cast-offs) is the real junk in your wardrobe. Nobody wants it. Even for free. And that includes charity shops. In this bag, you’ll often find old fast fashion clothes, which were badly made and destroyed in the washing machine for example. You can repurpose them as cleaning rags, towels, dusters and tape free gift wrapping using this tuto.   

Buying less and styling more

I kept the best one for the end. Now that we’ve taken care of all the bags, it’s time to have fun and play around with Bag #5 (Guilty pleasures). Life is too short and no one except you should have an opinion on how you dress. Put your guilty pleasures at the forefront of your wardrobe and style them using your new found hidden treasures from bag #6 and the clothes you already wear. 

What’s the sustainable thing to do with your unworn clothes?

• Donating clothes to charity shops should not be your first port of call. Charities are overwhelmed with donations and resort to shipping the excess to developing countries. Clothes that can’t be sold on the other side of the world simply end up in landfill. That’s why you should always try to give or sell them to people around you first. 

• Only donate good and clean quality clothes and pick local charities with a cause whenever you can. Do your research and make sure the money goes to people in need. I personally donate to Crisis, the charity for homeless people in the UK. 

• If you have a garden or a composting bin you can technically compost your clothes. They must be 100% cotton, linen, wool or other biodegradable material. Synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, acrylic are not biodegradable and would create residue. It’s better to tear whatever you want to compost in small scraps to help the process. 

• You can sell your clothes using apps such as eBay, Vestiaire Collective, Depop, Vinted… Or give them free of charge using Freecycle or Gumtree. I would avoid leaving them on the street outside your house or near a bin as they may be mistaken for the trash. 

• Transforming your clothes is one of the best options. If you don’t want or have time to do it yourself, why not use an upcycling service to give a new life to old clothes. Reture is a digital platform that pairs you with a professional designer specialised in repairs and alterations (available worldwide). Local artists and designers may also be interested to use your old, unsellable, stuff. 

• The last option is putting them in a recycling bin. However, not all will be recycled and some of it may end up in landfill. You can contact the brand or designer directly and ask if they are interested in taking their old clothes back. Alternatively, you can drop off your clothes at Levi’s (for denim of any brand), The North Face (in Germany, Canada and the US), Patagonia (clothes from the brand exclusively) and H&M (anything, in exchange of a voucher). 

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