How to do Clothes Recycling Central London
March 29, 2025How best to do clothes recycling Central London? By incorporating it into an adventure, of course! You can drop off unwanted items like clothes and textiles in good condition to any charity shop that’s open or look for textile banks. Much more exciting than home collection!
Central London is the best place to travel to for really glamorous and exciting things to do. Shopping is great here, and you’ve got really big, multi-level stores and tiny little independents. Don’t be scared to go to Soho. It’s actually very cool. It’s right next to Oxford Street and when you have finished with the bright American candy stores and clothing shops, go to Poland Street, Denmark Street, or Greek Street (do you sense a theme?).
Denmark Street is very famous street, associated for over a century with music. It used to house music publishers and was known as the English version of Tin Pan Alley. To these were added recording studios, and now it has both studios and a lot of very cool musical instrument shops. These include guitar shops, so if you want to go and try out some very alluring guitars, this is the place to head.
The location is often used for filming, including for The Ink Black Heart, the BBC TV series adaptation of the Robert Galbraith novel. When it was filming last year, there was quite a crowd of onlookers as this was a street scene. It was also used for a scene in Ladyparts, the fantastic comedy drama written by Nida Manzoor. Ladyparts is about a female punk rock band who also happen to be Muslim, and I really, really recommend it. You can watch it on Channel 4 if you’re in the UK.
Clothes Recycling Central London – Your Brush With Fame! Maybe
Clothes recycling Central London – Denmark Street.
Michael Lazarev, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Because of the recording studios and guitar shops, you’ll often spot famous people on Denmark Street anyway, even if nothing is filming there. Wouldn’t it be cool if your favourite music artist spotted you doing your good deed, dropping off your textile recycling and unwanted clothing to a textiles recycling bank? From then on they would think you are wonderful, and you could strike up a conversation about the best waste and resources action and registered UK charity. After that, who knows? I actually once saw Benedict Cumberbatch there, although did not strike up a conversation with him about anything at all. I also saw the cast of Inky Black Heart as well, because of the above-mentioned filming, although the cast of Ladyparts would have been more exciting.
Eating!
If you are not bothered by the prospect of meeting pop stars and film luminaries, Soho still has a lot to offer. There are so many tiny restaurants there, almost hole-in-the-wall with just a few seats. You’ll find really good quality hand-made noodles, bakeries, sushi, Italian, and French places, with very fresh ingredients and excruciating prices. They are really worth it for a treat though. You can also find a whole lot of excellent drinking places, and some nice cheap noodle and falafel shops open very late to soak it up as well. Soho has one of the very few (that I know of) 24 hour restaurants in London too.
Clothes recycling Central London – Other Good Spots
On the other side of Oxford Street, I have to recommend a place a little bit off the beaten track as well. Gauthier Bakery and 123V are on the same premises, and while the title bakery may promise a bit much, the whole place does really great vegan cakes and pastry, and a very tasty and varied salad bar as well. The restaurant itself has very cosy green booths and you can get a fancy menu there too, including a tasting menu in many courses, if you so wish. But if you want fancy, I’d recommend heading over to the original Gauthier Soho, which is a Michelin starred restaurant with exquisite surroundings and thick white tablecloths. You’ll need a reservation in advance. The Bakery is good as a lunch place, no reservations needed. It’s on Stephen Street.
Clothes Recycling Central London – Charlotte Street
Near to Stephen Street is Charlotte Street. I‘m not doing themes on purpose – or maybe just subconsciously. I love Charlotte Street, because it is just so gorgeous. According to Google Maps, it is an “Elegant Fitzrovia address, conservation area and nightlife and dining district, established in 1763.” So it’s not just me who thinks so. It was named in honour of Queen Charlotte, who married King George III in 1761, two years previously.
The unforgettable designation of Fitzrovia describes the area roundabout there, and is named after the Fitzroy Tavern. This was founded as a coffeehouse originally in 1883. Coffee houses were always intended as meeting places for discussion and debate, and for reading the papers. This one took off spectacularly in the early to mid 20th century, when the poet Dylan Thomas, the writers Lawrence Durrell and George Orwell, and the painter Augustus John used to meet there to chat. The poet Charlotte Mew lived on the street as well.
There is a lot to see and do on Charlotte Street alone and Fitzrovia in general. If you’re not tired out by this, you are going to be close to the British Museum. And you could go to Covent Garden too. It has the Royal Opera House and the British Transport Museum as well. Or drop over to Somerset House, which always has something good on. There are also a string of theatres showing musicals and plays around there.
Central London is easy to get to and has a lot of buses and tube stops. Including the new Elizabeth Line at Tottenham Court Road. You’ll definitely find something there to interest you.
