How to Tackle a Wardrobe Clear-out

Clearing out your wardrobe can be a daunting task, especially if you do not do it regularly. It is surprising how quickly rubbish can build up over the years. Here, we discuss how best to tackle a wardrobe clear-out, to make the task easier to finish, leaving you with a clutter-free wardrobe.  

Remove EVERYTHING 

Start by removing absolutely everything from your wardrobe. You may be shocked by how much stuff is crammed inside. You will not be able to successfully complete a clear out if you do not start with an empty wardrobe. Once everything has been taken out, give the inside of your wardrobe a quick clean. 

Make a recycling pile  

Start by separating the items you want to keep with those that you do not. Make sure you are brutal with this. If you have forgotten you owned it or haven't worn/used something for months, then it is probably a sign it is not worth keeping. Once you have a not wanted pile, organise this into what can be recycled and what can’t be. This is important as it will significantly reduce the amount of waste that will end up in a landfill. 

Send items to a clothing bank  

There are many clothing banks, especially at supermarkets. Donate what you think will be useful, ensuring you are not donating items that are of bad quality.  

Create a sell and swap pile  

From the remaining items, consider if there are any that you could potentially sell. A clear-out is an amazing opportunity to earn some extra money from the items you no longer want or need. Also, consider swapping items. Speak to your friends and organise a clothing swap party. This helps you get rid of your unwanted clothes and end up with something new that you will actually wear.  

Can you repair anything? 

You may stumble across items that are a bit worse for wear. Before you automatically go to chuck it away, ask yourself whether you can fix it? If the answer is no, can you use it for another function? This involves a bit of creative thinking but there any many ways to reuse unwanted items for a different purpose. 

Hire a skip  

Wardrobes do not just contain clothes. There is a myriad of waste and clutter that can end up being shoved into our wardrobes. Consider hiring a small skip when tackling your wardrobes. This is a great method of getting rid of all your rubbish in one go. The waste will be separated and recycled if possible, giving you peace of mind that you are reducing landfill waste as much as possible. It is also good if you do not have the time to separate the items into sell and donate piles. It also saves significant time on trips to the tip and recycling centres. 

Get organising  

Once you have gone through your “to throw” pile, you can get started on organising the stuff you are keeping. You should only have items that fit you well, that you wear regularly or recently and that you still like. There is no point keeping things for the sake of it. If you do not have a lot of wardrobe space, separate your clothes into Spring / Summer and Autumn / Winter. Place the out of season clothes at the back of the wardrobe or in vacuum-packed bags. This keeps the items you are not going to wear yet out of the way. Once the weather changes, swap them over. 

Keep on top of it  

Once you have done the clear-out it is important to keep on top of it. The first clear-out will always be the most time consuming and hard work. However, undertaking mini subsequent tidy ups will help ensure you do not need to repeat the process as much. 
 

It is important to tidy out your wardrobe on a regular basis. Not only is it a satisfying task once it is completed, but it also allows you to donate unwanted items, clear space and help keep the items left neat and improve their longevity. Here is a quick guide on how to achieve this and end up with a clean and tidy wardrobe.  
 

To find out more about how we can help you with your waste disposal and recycling needs, please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information. 

Fast Fashion And What Can Be Done To Help Reduce Clothing Waste

The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined, which is a staggering thought. Although some steps are being taken within the industry to try and lower this impact, the UK’s fashion habit continues to grow. With cheap clothing continuing to be readily available, people are changing their wardrobes regularly, with some choosing quantity over quality in order to keep up with the latest fashion trends and changing fashion seasons. Here, we discuss what the impact of this Fast Fashion is and what we can do to help clothing waste.

With fast fashion still happening, thousands of items of clothing are ending up at the landfill every few minutes. In addition to this, the water consumed whilst creating these garments is exponential, with almost 2000 gallons of water being used to make a single pair of jeans.

Unfortunately, it is not just the manufacturing and distribution of clothes that takes its toll on the environment. Washing some types of clothes has been proven to send bits of plastic into the ocean. It is these microplastics that can have severe effects to ecosystems and wildlife.

Despite this environmental impact, the fast fashion industry has grown, there are many things we can change about the way we shop to help limit this adverse impact.

Buy quality not quantity

It is surprising how few items of clothing you need to create an amazing capsule wardrobe. By wearing your clothes for longer, the carbon footprint can be lowered significantly.

Buy clothes to last

When deciding what to buy, choose items that you think will last. If they are high enough quality, they could even get handed down to future generations.

Shop in charity stores

Charity shops are a great place to find some real gems. By not buying new, you are automatically reducing the carbon footprint and helping to avoid clothes ending up in landfill sites.

Swap and Share

Get together with friends and organise a clothing exchange. Organise a party where each person brings a few items of clothing that they no longer want. Trade them with each other so that everyone ends up with a new item to take home without having to spend a penny.

Donate

Before sending your clothes to the landfill try and donate them instead. Donating to charities is a great way to give back to the community and allows you to organize your wardrobes and free up some space at the same time.

Repurpose Items

If you are undertaking DIY or messy jobs at home, keep your old clothes for this purpose. They can be great for house cleaning, painting and decorating.

Get Creative

If you are getting bored with your clothes, there is lots of inspiration online to help you turn a piece of clothing into something completely different and inject a new life into the piece.

Buy Sustainably

Wherever possible, avoid unsustainable supply chains.

Freshen up your look

Create a whole new look by simply adding different accessories as opposed to buying completely new outfits.

Organise your wardrobe

By keeping your wardrobe tidy and having all your clothes on display will make it easier to pick outfits and means you are less likely to go and buy items that you already own something similar but you had forgotten you had.

Although fast fashion has the benefit of making shopping for clothes extremely affordable, it comes at an environmental cost. With the high use of carbon, water and other resources, it also leads to colossal amounts of waste at the landfill. However, by making small changes to the way we approach to fashion and shopping, we can make and difference and help reduce the amount of clothing waste we have.

To find out more about how we can help you with your waste disposal needs, please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

The Dos and Don’ts of Recycling

Recycling is a practice that we all know is beneficial to the environment. However, managing your household waste according to local recycling rules can be daunting and confusing.
Here we discuss some do’s and don’ts of recycling your household waste.

Dos
•    DO always what materials are accepted with your local council.   Whilst some recycling plants can handle certain materials, others will not have the facilities, so it is vital that you check.
•    DO separate items- again check with your local council for requirements. Whilst some people only have one recycling bin, others may need to separate their recycling waste into plastics, glass and metals.
•    DO remove grease before recycling- It is common for people to place pizza boxes in the recycling bin or believing they cannot be recycled due to the grease and place them in the general waste bin. The truth is that you can tear off the pieces of cardboard that are covered in grease and place in the general waste bin and place the clean cardboard in the recycling bin.
•    DO recycle your junk mail. The majority of the mail you receive is suitable for the recycling bin. Place all your unnecessary paperwork in the recycling bin unless it contains confidential information, which should be shredded where possible. Check with your local council before placing shredded paper in the recycling bin as some areas do not accept it.
•    DO try and reuse items as much as possible. Just because an item is recyclable can be recycled doesn’t mean you should not reuse it as much as you can beforehand.
•    DO flatten cardboard down as much as possible. The flatter you can get it, the more you can fit in the bin and therefore the smaller number of waste pickups are necessary, lowering costs and emissions.
•    DO rinse all containers- Ensure containers are cleaned thoroughly before placing in the recycling to remove any traces of food.

Don’ts
•    DON’T assume an item is recyclable. Even though you are trying to maximise your recycling, adding unrecyclable material to the recycling bin can be more harmful. An entire batch of recycling can be written off due to a very small number of unrecyclable items being found.    Before recycling anything you are unsure of, always check the label first.
•    DON’T recycle plastic bags- Try to reuse plastic bags as many times as possible. When they can no longer be used, take them to a facility that specifically recycles plastic bags. Many supermarkets have areas to dispose of them. Do not just place them in your recycling bin.
•    DON’T recycle food- Food is not recyclable but some of it can be compostable. Consider purchasing a compost bin to place organic food waste to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill whilst benefitting your garden at the same time.
•    DON’T recycle plastic containers that contained toxic material such as bleach. Be careful when placing plastic bottles in the recycling bin. Although they are plastic, if they have contained a potentially harmful substance, they will not be accepted at the recycling plant. For example, anti-freeze pesticide containers, spray paints and even some household cleaners
•    DON’T place garden waste in a recycle bin. Order a separate garden waste bin if you have garden waste on a regular basis.
•    DON’T recycle wrapping paper unless it states it’s recyclable- Many people do not realise that most wrapping paper and tissue paper is unrecyclable. Try and reuse wrapping paper as much as possible by storing it away for the future.

Unfortunately, recycling is becoming more complicated and it is important to understand what your recycling rules are in your local area. However, by following these dos and don’ts you can help ensure as much waste as possible is recycled. If you have a lot of waste in your house or garden, then consider hiring a skip to help. One of the major benefits of LSPS skip hire is that we will ensure your waste is separated into items that can be recycled and those that can’t to take the pressure off you.

To find out more about how we can help you with your waste disposal and recycling needs, please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

How to support sustainable fashion

A recent BBC documentary presented by Stacey Dooley has thrust the shocking environmental impact of fashion back into the limelight once again. The documentary, titled ‘Stacey Dooley Investigates: Are your clothes wrecking the planet?’ looked at the environmental impact caused by the fashion industry, highlighting two powerful examples of how ‘fast fashion’ is having a harmful effect on the planet.

The first example was that of the Aral Sea, nestled between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The Aral Sea was once an important part of the economy for local fisherman, water source and holiday spot for locals. However, over the years water had begun to be diverted to feed crops like cotton and meet the demand for cheap clothing. Now, the Aral Sea has shrunken to only a fraction of its size, the local economy has collapsed, and massive dust storms wreak havoc on the remaining residents in the area.

Further backing up the claims of fashion being one of the top-5 most polluting industries in the world, Dooley visited Indonesia to look at the devastation of rivers and water sources. The documentary showed how huge factories that supply British and European clothing companies with garments are actively dumping toxic chemicals, killing local wildlife and contaminating waterways used by millions of families with cadmium, lead and arsenic.

Upon returning to the UK, Dooley was shocked at the lack of support from clothing companies and indeed government aids to support sustainable clothing options and take action against this type of pollution. However, some support was found among popular fashion bloggers who are now aiming to turn the tide on throw-a-way fashion.

Did you watch the programme? Are you now looking to act to reduce the impact your wardrobe has on the planet? If so then read on for our tips and advice on how to dress and shop more sustainably:

1 – Consider what the product is made of. Materials like hemp, soy silk, cashmere, organic cotton (not standard cotton) and flax linen have less of an impact than many other materials which are treated with pesticides, bleaches, dyes and other toxic chemicals.

2 – Become a vintage shopper. Recycling is one of the most sustainable friendly ways of shopping. Instead of allowing clothing to fall into landfill or be incinerated you can give someone else’s pre-loved clothes a new home.

3 – Learn to sew. The very low price of some clothing companies has meant that many people now buy cheap clothes which don’t last very long but are relatively cheap to replace. However, while the cost of cheap fashion may be low on our pockets, the environment pays a high cost. We can break this cycle by learning to repair our own clothes. Sites like YouTube have plenty of free videos where you can learn the basics of tailoring.

4 – Don’t be afraid to wear the same outfit twice. Social media websites and advertising have led to a culture of fashion that encourages us to have a different look every time we leave the house or appear on social media. While this might leave you with a nice Instagram feed it doesn’t help the planet and such a high consumption of clothing isn’t sustainable for the planet.

5 – Choose your brands carefully. The ethical fashion movement is growing every day and it needs your support. Look closely at the websites of your favourite retailers and see if they make any commitments to sustainability. A quick Google could give you some insight into whether or not they are a company worthy of your support.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.