Third of adults ‘have thrown away brand-new clothes in the last year’

A third of adults across the UK have thrown away brand new clothes in the last year, research has found.

The percentage is slightly higher in Northern Ireland (35%) than the UK average of 32%, which has added an estimated 36 million to the 1.4 billion items UK wide that go into a mountain of clothing waste.

The new research by Censuswide, commissioned by The National Lottery Community Fund, surveyed 2,752 UK adults, and found that one in five people (20%) who said they put unworn or rarely worn clothing in the bin did so because they did not think they were worth selling or donating.

It found that a lack of mending skills is also to blame, with more than a quarter saying they lacked confidence in basic sewing such as attaching a button (26%) and two in five unconfident of stitching a hem (44%).

The National Lottery Community Fund is backing community-led solutions such as repair cafes to teach skills such as upcycling and sewing, to reduce the impact on the environment.

Repair Cafe Northern Ireland is using National Lottery funding to expand their network of 12 outlets that they say are already making a big difference.

Co-founder Chris McCartney said so far they have mended at least 3,500 items and saved 7.5 tonnes from going to waste – from clocks to cardigans.

“Every community should have a repair cafe to help bring people together, share skills and reduce costs and waste, especially now when families and the planet are under so much pressure,” he said.

“Our groups are run by amazing volunteers once a month in different locations. So far we’ve mended at least 3,500 items and saved 7.5 tonnes from going to waste, ranging from clocks to cardigans.”

Roz Bashford, one of the volunteer fixers at the Northern Ireland repair cafes, said they have built a community.

“People come to get their items mended, but it’s more than that. One elderly gentleman who is caring for his wife brought pyjamas along that were missing a button, that she would have normally fixed. Now he brings items to us every month,” she said.

“The companionship over tea and a chat means as much to him as the mending.

“Educating people and helping them learn sewing skills opens a new way of life for them. I recently taught a young woman how to use a sewing machine that she was scared to take out of the box. She just made a beautiful dress out of a pair of curtains.”

In the last four years, The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded 282 grants totalling more than £13 million to environmental projects in Northern Ireland, with £300 million overall going UK wide, including repair cafes, upcycling and sewing groups.

It is also calling on charities and community groups to apply for funding to set up projects in their community which could help the environment.

Funding is available for environmental projects of all shapes and sizes, from small grants of up to £20,000 through its open access Awards for All programme, to organisations working across the UK through the Climate Action Fund.

John Rose, environment lead at The National Lottery Community Fund, described as “shocking” the “throwaway culture and an out-of-control mountain of clothes waste, wreaking havoc on our environment”.

“While fighting fashion waste is no easy feat and needs collective action, there are small steps everyone can take that will help the planet such as taking clothing or other broken items to be mended at a repair cafe,” he said.

“There are many people who are keen to make a positive difference to the environment where they live, whether that’s setting up a repair cafe, starting a community garden or helping people learn how to reduce their energy use, and we want to encourage them to get in touch with us to see if we can help them with funding at https://bit.ly/Environmentfunding.”