Cash for Old Clothes! Creating a more Sustainable Wardrobe with Enviroclothes

This is an advertisement feature with Enviroclothes

What is it about New Year that has me reaching for the feather duster and desperately burying my head into cupboards and drawers? There's something about January that always makes me want to have a huge clear out and having spent the majority of New Year's Day tidying the kitchen I knew that next on my hit list had to be the disaster area that is my bedroom wardrobe. So when Enviroclothes got in touch to ask if I fancied a clear out, I decided to challenge myself to create a more sustainable wardrobe (with the added incentive of getting cash for old clothes) it was my perfect opportunity to get started on a major January tidy.

Over the last year or so I have learnt a lot about my personal style and how to maintain a more streamlined wardrobe which has seen me buying far less clothes and working hard to choose outfits that compliment my figure and lifestyle. That said, I have still made mistakes and when it came to my yearly clear out I had a few things that desperately needed a new home.

With capsule wardrobes becoming more and more popular it's perhaps no surprise that 350,000 tonnes of clothes find their way into landfill each year - a statistic that I'm sure we can all agree is pretty horrifying. Like many others, I am becoming more and more aware of the effects of my actions so when it comes to clearing out my wardrobe I want to ensure that I am getting rid of clothes in a sustainable way.

So I was very happy to discover Enviroclothes, a local company who believe that unwanted clothes deserve a second chance at life. Offering the chance for your preloved items to be reloved, Enviroclothes have made getting rid of your clothes environmentally friendly with just a few simple steps. With an added cash incentive to finally tackle the clear out, there really is no excuse not to have a huge tidy.

Step One

Perhaps the most fun part of a clear out is pulling everything out of your wardrobe to discover what you actually have in there. Although it's messy I recommend getting every item off the rail so you can see all of your clothes properly.  It's incredible how many clothes you will find that you'd completed forgotten about. I've now got myself some great new outfits for work, made up entirely of things from my wardrobe that I didn't know I had.

When deciding which items to keep in my closet I made sure that everything I own creates a variety of different outfits, suits my personal style and compliments my lifestyle and then sorted my rail into something a little more manageable with jeans, work outfits, shirts, skirts and tops all sorted together to make life a bit easier.

It is definitely worth taking the time to properly organise your clothes as it is so much easier to get ready in the morning when you can just grab and go. Taking forgotten items like t-shirts out of drawers and into your wardrobe instead means you're more likely to see them and wear them and I try to put as much as I can into my closet rather than my drawers so that I can really see what I'm working with.

Creating a sustainable wardrobe is all about maximising the clothes that you have, taking good care of them to make sure that they last and ensuring that every single item you own you are wearing. Having a good sort out is definitely a great first step in ensuring your wardrobe is working for you and is sustainable.

Step Two

Once I'd sorted out everything that I wanted to keep and it was back in my wardrobe I had a good pile of things to pass to Enviroclothes. They accept good quality adult clothes, children's clothes, baby clothes, swimwear, bras, shoes, accessories and stuffed toys. Items that are worn out, damaged or dirty won't be accepted so I made sure that once I'd decided to get rid of somethingI gave it a quick inspection to ask myself if the quality of the item was good enough for someone else to reuse.

Before you get carried away diving into every drawer in your house, it's worth knowing that school uniforms, branded work or sports team uniforms, household textiles and underwear aren't accepted by Enviroclothes.

Step Three

With my pile of unwanted items ready all I needed to do was bag them up.  We had decided to visit the drop off point in Cramlington but they also have points at Team Valley and Durham if those are closer to you.  If you decide to take your bags to one of the drop off points there's no need to book an appointment, just turn up during their opening hours.

If you aren't near a collection point or don't have the time or means to travel you can also book a collection online here.  Simply type in your collection address and then select a pick up date, a 2 hour time slot and an Enviroclothes van will pop round to weigh your bags give you some cash and relieve you of your unwanted items.

Step Four

Simon and I had both been through our wardrobes and ended up pulling together two pretty large bags full of unwanted clothes - whether they were too small, no longer practical for our wardrobes or had perhaps never really suited us in the first place, they were all bagged up and we drove them the short way to Cramlington where we parked in one of the handy parking spots right outside the Enviroclothes drop off point.

The Enviroclothes kiosk was really welcoming and the ladies serving us were lovely - we had a good natter about some of the clothes that we had brought with us (I suddenly spotted that Simon had included a shirt that he'd worn on our first date so that was quite a talking point!) Everything was really tidy, clean and well organised so the whole process only took a few minutes.

All of our items were checked before being placed into a large container on the scales. In a matter of minutes everything had been weighed and sorted and we were being handed over our cash. Enviroclothes buy your clothes for 40p per kg and pay you on the spot for your items. We were really chuffed to be going home £6.90 richer and with a much more manageable wardrobe.

As well as earning yourself a little extra cash there is also the option to donate all or part of your money to local charity North East Hearts With Goals who place life saving defibrillators into schools, colleges and sports clubs across the region.

Going into the New Year with a tidy wardrobe really is the best feeling, getting ready in the morning without having to hunt through a pile of unwanted clothes makes everything far easier and it's incredible how having a tidy space can make so many other areas of your life seem so much more manageable.

If you're planning your own clear out and want even more pence for your kg, Enviroclothes are offering New Girl in Toon readers a special promotion - quote "NEWGIRLINTOON50" to receive 50p per kg up to 11 February 2020.

I'm going into 2020 with just the clothes that I love and I LOVE that!

Find Enviroclothes at:

Durham: Arnison Retail Park (next to KFC), DH1 5GB
Gateshead: Retail World, Team Valley (Outside Next) NE11 0BD
Cramlington: Manor Walks (outside Gala Bingo), Forum Way, NE23 6UY

All units are open Monday to Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm and on Sundays 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

To get 50p per kg for your clothes quote "NEWGIRLINTOON50"

enviroclothes.co.uk/

0191 265 5551

This is a sponsored feature with Enviroclothes.