Recycle Your Outdoor Gear

An estimated 320,000* people are homeless in the UK and these individuals need good quality clothing and equipment to keep them dry and warm whilst on the streets.

The value of unused clothing in wardrobes is estimated at around £30 billion with an estimated £140 million worth of clothing going into landfill each year**.

Our 2nd Life initiative matches the needs of people who are homeless with unused clothing and aims to help protect people from the elements whilst reducing the environmental impact of sending clothes to landfill.

*Source: Shelter 2018

‌**Source: Wrap https://wrap.org.uk/

What outdoor gear can I donate?

We can rehome the following outdoor clothing and gear:

- Outdoor Jackets‌

‌- Outdoor Trousers

‌- Sleeping Bags

- Hats

‌- Gloves

‌- Base Layers

‌- Fleeces

‌- Insulated Clothing

‌Ensuring that rough sleepers stay warm is one of the toughest challenges homeless charities face in the UK climate so any donations of insulated jackets and other warm pieces of clothing are especially needed.

All donated items should be clean and where possible reproofed.

Where can I donate my outdoor gear?

You can donate your items at one of our six drop off points:

‌Ellis Brigham, Westfield Stratford City

Ellis Brigham, Covent Garden

Ellis Brigham, Manchester Deansgate

Ellis Brigham, Braehead

Ellis Brigham, Fort William

‌Ellis Brigham, Aviemore

Alternatively, you can post us your donations or include them in any return to us. To do this simply call 0808 164 0600 or email us at customer.services@ellis-brigham.com. Please mark any donations with: 2nd Life Donation

Together in the first 12 months of the scheme we have redirected over 2 tonnes worth of clothing from landfill to homeless charities.

"One of our volunteers picked up your donation just before the pandemic started and we virtually went straight out to the streets with it. A cold Glasgow night as usual, we are on the lookout for rough sleepers and at that time of night there is no Services so you're just making sure the person you're helping is warm, secure and safe with plenty of fluids and food. The donations we received: jackets, fleece, over trousers, sleeping bags and mats, really make a difference. It doesn't sound much but we see the difference simple things have on someone. It makes all the effort we put in and the donations we receive just fantastic."

• Anonymous volunteer, The Invisibles

"Winter in London is cold and dark and having proper sleeping bags and warm coats is really important to literally keep people alive‌."

• Project manager, SCT