A street stall is coming to The Victoria shopping centre next week for one day only as the council and Veolia promote European Week for Waste Reduction.
The pop-up stall will be open 10am – 2pm on Friday 22 November, and residents and visitors can bring any unwanted clothes to donate, and in return they can take some clothes that others have donated.
The idea behind it is that many people become bored or rarely use lots of clothes they own and then end up throwing them away. This will enable people to freshen up their wardrobe whilst also clearing out some of the unwanted clothes that are taking up space.
Imran Kazalbash, head of waste management, environmental care and street cleansing, said: “This innovative project will not only reduce the amount of textile waste within the Borough, it will also spruce up lots of peoples wardrobes at the same time.
“Every year, 300,000 tonnes of clothing is thrown away in the UK, and events like this enable us to promote alternative options to throwing away unwanted clothes. I urge people to come along and get involved.”
Keith McGurk, Regional Director for Veolia said “Following the waste hierarchy, it is preferable to reuse before you recycle. That’s why we are very happy to launch this initiative as part of our offer to residents to reduce their waste.
“Giving pre-loved clothes a new life is a great way to reduce the environmental impact of these products. We encourage residents to come along - the more clothes, the more chances for everyone to bring something home.”
Southend BID manager Suzanne Gloyne said, "Any activity which that not only helps the environment but also encourages visitors to come into the town centre can only be a good thing. We all love a bargain and fashion conscious people often like to buy the latest looks fast, cheap and then move onto the next trend. But rather than bin it, swap it! I love the idea of this exciting project and would encourage people to start rummaging through their wardrobes now, find those unwanted clothes and have fun swapping them for really cool stuff in return.”
If you are unable to attend this event, remember that you can recycle your unwanted textiles using your weekly kerbside textile collection. For further information visit www.southend.gov.uk/recycling
For more information regarding European Week for Waste Reduction, please visit www.ewwr.eu/en/project/main-features