I also do:

These are the 16 T-shirts that I don’t wear regularly (and there’s a few more that I do). Most of them simply don’t look that good on me. Some of them have visible holes. A lot of them have originated as swag received at various conferences, meetups and work. And they certainly do take a lot of space.

The activity of buying new clothes seems to be ingrained in our culture and in our habits. For some it’s even a lifestyle. Many spend hours shopping, constantly increasing the size of their wardrobe. And who would say no to anything if it’s offered for free? However, a lot of clothes end up being forgotten deep inside our drawers and eventually find their way to the landfills.

Ask yourself: how many of your clothes do you actually wear regularly? Which ones are you keeping only for nostalgic reasons, or in case you have nothing else to wear? Which ones would you rather not wear, but you do only because you own them? Which ones don’t fit you anymore or never did?

Let’s face it. Most of us have fallen into the trap of consumerism. We have too many clothes and we should be doing something about it. And not only because it affects us personally, but also because it has an impact on the environment. Do you know that in the UK alone 235 million clothing items will be thrown away this year? Most of them can actually be repurposed — either used by someone else or recycled.

So what should we do?

First, when it comes to buying, don’t get new clothes unless you really need something. Avoid conference swag and similar freebies you don’t get to choose, unless you know you will wear them. Get used clothes whenever you can.

While many are willing and encouraged to donate, there’s unfortunately still a stigma of buying used stuff. Those doing so might be deemed cheap, and used clothes don’t often come in the impeccable state. But imagine if everyone in the UK would get just a single used clothing item instead of buying a brand new one. This would mean 65 million less items would have to be produced.

Second, maintain your wardrobe. Regularly review it and get rid of clothes you don’t wear often enough. Try to keep the amount of clothes you have to a minimum. As a rule of thumb, you can reduce the amount of hangers and drawers dedicated to clothes and never go over the limit.

Third, once you decide you don’t need something, don’t simply throw it away. Sell it, ask if a friend needs it or donate to a charity. Once you become aware of the fact that someone might need your clothes more than you (and will actually use them), it becomes easier to give things away instead of hoarding them. If an item is in poor condition, it’s still very likely recyclable. I use Clothes the Loop, since you can simply drop off all of your unwanted clothes regardless of their condition, and they will be repurposed appropriately (either reused or recycled). However, there’s a whole bunch of other charities and recycling facilities. For selling, you can use eBay, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, Mercari and Village, amongst others.

Essentially, I’m asking you to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Most of what I said can be applied to anything that we stuff our homes with, not just clothes. But clothing is the category that’s probably easiest to deal with. I encourage you to be mindful of clothes you acquire or already have and ensure they are put to their best use.