EA and Oxfam urge people to donate
January 7, 2009
During the festive season, the Environment Agency and Oxfam have been urging people in the UK to ensure their unwanted clothes, books and household items are donated to charity shops. They claim such charitable action can also help the environment.
Earlier last year, Oxfam and Marks and Spencer carried out research which revealed that there were over £4.7 million worth of unworn clothes gathering dust in the nation's cupboards. The Environment Agency estimated that more than 1 million tonnes of clothes and other textiles are sent to landfill each year, thus contributing to the gaseous emissions that cause climate change.
Liz Parkes, the Environment Agency Head of Waste, emphasised the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling waste before even considering throwing it away. Charity shops offer the perfect means of reuse for unwanted items or items that are being replaced through Christmas presents.
Oxfam generates over £20 million each year by selling donated items through its 730 shops in the UK. This helps ensure that thousands of tonnes of unwanted clothes, books and other items are reused rather then left cluttering up the nation's wardrobes and shelves, or being disposed of to landfill.
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