The best clothes recycling center
April 11, 2025The best clothes recycling center is the one that works best for you. Do you want one nearby, do you want to support your favourite charity? Would you prefer to find clothing recycling bins or donating clothing to the thrift store? Alternatively if you prefer to go to the High Street, Urban Outfitters, H&M and American Eagle have recycling collection boxes that take tons of good condition textile clothing shoes to be reused or recycled.
When you are doing your textile recycling, make it a reason to walk a dog! Take your textile waste to the Salvation Army and walk there. Walking is excellent to get your circulation going, and is very good for your skin and every organ in your body. In addition, spending time with a dog has been shown to have a lot of benefits, like lowering your blood pressure and creating calm, or happiness.
Clothes recycling center – Make your dog happy! Make yourself happy!
Walk a dog! Photo G Jones
You do not have to own a dog to enjoy spending time with one. You can ask a neighbour, especially someone who is busy, like a young family, a bit older, or has difficulty walking. Dog owning is a lot of responsibility, and it’s best if you are at home a lot for them. There are also websites and apps where you can arrange to “borrow” a dog for a walk or to spend time with one. If you do want a dog to come and live with you, try fostering. Or you can re-home one from a rescue centre.
Dogs are excellent to improve your physical health, getting you out and about to the clothes recycling center and getting your heart beating, blood pumping, and lungs working. It’s good for weight maintenance and lowering cholesterol as well as blood pressure. Your mental health will benefit too, as their silly antics will often lift stress, anxiety and make you feel less lonely. They can give you someone to talk to who does not offer unasked for advice, just a listening ear. I mean, all dogs have different personalities, so don’t expect every one you meet to be a good listener.
Good Emotional Support
Mine doesn’t listen and she’s not massively into cuddling, but she’s pretty funny! She loves to chase a laser light, like a kitten. She also offers a paw if there’s a treat she really really wants. She’s never been trained to do this but just copied it from her doggy friend, so she’s a bit uncertain but sometimes throws it in. If she does it, it means she’s making a big effort to say “please” and being extra polite. Some dogs are very playful, some are cuddly, and some are super loving. There are some who can see when you are upset and will come up to you and show their concern.
Make New Friends
Another good thing about being with a dog on your way to the clothes recycling center is that you will meet lots of new people this way. Some you just speak to in passing, just that once. Some become good friends, and you see them every day, and even look after each other’s dogs. For sure, you will find yourself having conversations mainly about dogs this way, but sometimes other things too. One local dog walker and socialite I know holds regular film nights at a local pub. She basically picks a film she wants to see and they project it while we drink their very expensive cocktails. Dogs are welcome and we all feel very fancy. I love her for it.
It is also mooted that dogs improve children’s immune systems by exposing them to their fluff from an early age. They can also teach kids about responsibility by making them responsible for feeding, walking and looking after the pet. But I wouldn’t recommend this, because while children might beg for a puppy, they don’t understand how much work a dog really is. Dogs are for adults, not kids.
Clothes recycling center – recycle it yourself by composting
Some fabric in poor condition is suitable for composting instead of recycling depending on material type. Million tons of textiles go to waste each year so it’s your chance to do something about it. Many homes in the UK have some kind of garden, even if it’s a balcony or paio. I read recently it’s 80%. This gives you a chance to create your own compost. Home made compost is so good for enriching your soil, and you can use it to grow vegetables. Home grown vegetables, especially freshly picked, taste amazing.
Fabric that can be composted includes natural fibres. Silk, linen, cotton, hemp, cashmere, and wool can be made into compost. Shed it into fine fibres and it will degrade most quickly if the compost is hot. You can add worms to make it break down better. Who knows what the worms make of the dye.
Gardening for Health and Happiness
But gardening, like walking, going to the clothes recycling center and petting a dog, is one of those things that is being mooted as something so good for your health. For one thing it gets you active, with all that bending, stretching, and using your hands. For another it’s amazing to plant something and watch it grow, and think, I did that! Whether you can eat it or it’s something ornamental and beautiful. It is also thought that the microbes in soil contribute to your health. So at some point, take your gloves off and get your fingers in the soil. Maybe even take your boots and socks off!
There is an old saying that you’ve got to eat a peck of dirt before you die and that children that play outside have healthier immune systems. This is because your stomach grows its own microbes to deal with any invaders you might eat. Although when you touch soil you’re not meant to eat it, the benefits are thought to be absorbed through your skin. I suppose you might touch your face though. Looking up how much is a peck, it’s quite a lot, so you’d better get on with eating that peck of dirt!
