Reduce, reuse and repair

You can donate:

• clothes (any kind, all styles)
• shoes (paired)
• accessories (ie bags, scarves, hats etc)
• linen (ie curtains, towels, bed sheets)

You cannot donate:

• no duvets or pillows
• no overly damaged or stained clothes

Clothes and textiles in good condition will be donated and sold for re-use in charity shops.

Items that aren’t suitable for donations can be recycled and made into new items, such as padding for chairs and car seats or industrial blankets.

This means your unloved clothes will have a second chance in a new home.

Our partner charity, TRAID, offers a free home collection service for unwanted clothes. You might choose this option if you’ve recently had a clear out or have a large number of unwanted clothes to donate. Your home collection will be scheduled for a time to suit you.

Book a free clothes home collection

You can post your donations to the British Heart Foundation for free. This could include quality:

• clothing and accessories
• collectables
• tech
• jewellery

Download a Freepost label to print at home or your nearest participating Collect+ store when you drop off your parcel.

Post your quality donations

Hackney clothes swap

Dates:

• Saturday 25 October 2025, midday to 4pm
• Saturday 24 January 2026, midday to 4pm

Location: to be confirmed

To hear about the latest clothes swap events:

• email greenerhackney@hackney.gov.uk to sign up to our mailing list
• follow Greener Hackney on Facebook
• follow Greener Hackney on X

You can turn up at any time during the event to swap your items.

Once you give us your clothes we will categorise them and give you tokens in return.

Browse the rails and use your token currency to exchange for new preloved items.

You can only swap if you have dropped items during the drop period.

Anything you once valued or will be valued by someone else. If you’d give it to a friend, you can bring it?

• women’s, men’s, and children’s clothes, accessories, and footwear
• clean and good quality
• free of faults or minor repairs
• no underwear or swimwear
• we can refuse any items

Do not bring more than 5 items.

Items are assessed and categorised based on recommended retail price (RRP) and condition. This will dictate how many tokens you can swap:

• 1 x token – preloved under £50 RRP
• 2 x token – preloved over £50 RRP and in great condition

At some swap events you can get clothes repaired or personalised.

Learn more about the sharing economy, how you can make money from what you already have, and how to reduce your impact on the planet. Join Loanhood for one-to-one guidance.

With over 90 Refill stations in Hackney, refilling your water bottle for free has never been easier. Simply download the app, find your local Refill station and get fresh drinking water on the go. Save money, stay hydrated and prevent plastic pollution at the source by using the free Refill app, or look for the Refill droplet in shop windows.

Visit Refill.

Composting is a natural process that transforms waste from your kitchen and garden into a nutrient-rich food product for your garden. It’s easy, inexpensive and compost can be used in gardens and green spaces to improve soil conditions.

If you’re interested in composting at your school, this free guide could help you:

View composting at school guide (PDF 1mb)

We can also advise you on setting up a school composting scheme. Contact us to find out more.

Around 85,000 litres of rain falls on the average house roof every year. Collect it in a water butt and you can have your own mini reservoir for watering your garden.