Home Environment & waste Recycling and waste Recycle and reuse your clothes and textiles
Lithium battery fires

Lithium batteries have caused fires in the rubbish lorries. Please do not put batteries in your waste or recycling bin. All batteries (including lithium batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters and other re-chargeable devices) can be taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Northumberland Wharf.

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Recycle and reuse your clothes and textiles

There are different ways you can give clothing and textiles a new life. 

Request a home collection

Our partner Traid provides free collections from home on a day that suits you.

You must have a minimum of 1 large bag or 3 small bags.

Traid can collect:

  • clothes (men’s, women’s and children’s)
  • paired shoes
  • bags
  • jewellery
  • accessories such as scarves, mittens, gloves
  • linens such as curtains

Traid cannot collect:

  • underwear
  • duvets
  • pillows
  • books
  • CDs
  • DVDs
  • furniture or bulky items

Book a Traid collection online or call 020 8733 2595.

Items are sorted and resold or sent for recycling with the proceeds going to charity. 

Textile banks

You can bring  these items in any condition:

  • clothing
  • paired shoes
  • linens such as curtains in any condition

The textiles are sorted for resale or sent for recycling into rags. Proceeds will go to our partner charity Scope. 

Textile bank map

A map of textile banks in Tower Hamlets.

 

 

Charity shops

You can donate these items (if they are good condition):

  • clothing
  • shoes
  • books
  • bric-a-brac

There are various charity shops around the borough such as:

Swap shops

We organise swap shops to give you the chance to refresh your wardrobe. You can swap clothes, accessories, books, and shoes.

Often the event includes a clothing repair workshop where you can learn basic mending skills. An expert will give you guidance and materials to help you repair an item of clothing.

You can find out when swap shops are happening on our events page.

See our advice on how to set up your own clothes swap event.

Alternations and repair 

You can find small local buisinesses across the borough that can change the fit and repair your clothes and shoes.
You can even get creative and try to cusotmise your own items.

Hire clothing

You can hire formalwear such as suits and dresses for events.

Give away, sell or swap apps and websites

Apps and websites such as Vinted and Depop let you give away, sell and swap your clothing, shoes and accessories.

Outgrown school uniforms

Check with your school to find out if they organise uniform swaps or stalls. There are also websites that let you sell uniforms online.

Never put textiles in the purple recycling bins

They can damage the sorting machines and may get too dirty or damaged to be recycled.

If you have large items like carpets and rugs, you can also book a bulky waste collection.