The solution is to collect waste materials and put them into a textiles 'clothes' bank, or donate the item(s) to a charity shop or even a jumble sale. The School in conjunction with the PTA should be able to operate a second hand school uniform shop for everything from sweatshirts to blazers. Junior/Infant Schools seem to be much better at doing this than Senior Schools.
I have run a school uniform business for some time now and I am a firm advocate of recycling initiatives such as freecycle.org. The country as a whole is now a disposable nation. If a pair of trousers has a small hole in the knee, they get thrown away - in my experience I find that many younger parents cannot sew (let alone posses a needle and cotton!).
Why do I write an article like this when my primary business is selling new school uniform? Simple, it really is not about making money all the time – I saw a beautiful sunrise this morning and it made me feel really good. We can all do our bit to reduce landfill and this is the start of my contribution – What can you do to help?
