Understanding clothing donation and disposal behaviours

This research explores the real-world behaviours behind UK consumers’ clothing donation and disposal decisions, revealing a complex interplay of emotion, practicality, and convenience.

The UK’s current textile collection system isn’t working. It’s inconvenient, inconsistent and confusing for the public.

Our research shows that nearly half (49%) of all used textiles end up in the bin, with the average person throwing away 35 items of clothing, each year.

Understanding and changing these behaviours is key to cutting the amount of clothing sent to landfill and incineration, keeping more textiles in use for longer, and achieving the ambitions of the UK Textiles Pact.

Closing the data gaps

Until now, there has been a lack of detailed, real-time data on why consumers dispose of clothing the way they do. To address this gap, we carried out innovative, in-the-moment research to observe clothing disposal and donation behaviours as they unfolded.

This approach has given us a clearer picture of the exact moments when people decide to part with clothing – and the emotional and practical factors behind those decisions. It also highlights opportunities for changing behaviour and redesigning systems to keep clothes out of the bin.

This research forms part of the Back to Baselines research project within the Network Plus, part of the broader UKRI Circular Fashion and Textiles programme.

Key findings

By observing real clothing sort-outs and understanding the thought processes people go through, six core insights emerged:

• The intent to sort-out clothing is triggered by life events
• Emotional and practical barriers delay sort-outs
• Convenience drives disposal and donation route decisions
• Disposal and donation intentions are shaped by emotional value
• Awareness of donation, resale, and recycling routes is high, but action is often low
• Solutions must reduce actual and perceived barriers and amplify reward.

These findings reveal clear opportunities for the industry to help people unlock the hidden value in their wardrobes and make better end-of-use decisions.

Download the report to read full details

What industry can do

To keep clothing in circulation and out of the bin, industry can:

• Simplify and standardise messaging on what goes where. Clear, consistent guidance reduces hesitation. People need simple messaging about what’s acceptable to donate or recycle.
• Improve existing collection routes. Make collection routes easier and more accessible for people to use and access. For example, optimising charity partnerships and improving customer retailer takeback schemes.
• Reward action with appropriate incentives and provide feedback or traceability where possible. Motivation is key. People are more likely to act when they feel their contribution matters.