5 Rules of Sustainable Decluttering

January is a decluttering month for many of us, but getting rid of things sustainably is not as easy as it sounds. Giving items to a charity shop became a go-to way of giving away items we no longer need. But how sustainable is it? And should it be the first stop to give away items?

We spoke to Gwendolyn Aker, an active Recycle More Southfields member and the organiser of Southfields Yard Sale Trail 2025. Gwendolyn works as a sustainable stylist, style coach, and personal shopper; exclusively sourcing items second-hand for their climate conscious client base. With a background in fine art, over a decade in London’s fashion industry, and two decades of thrifting in 14 countries over 4 continents, they know a thing or two about what happens after you hand over that bag of donations at the charity shop.

So, where do you start?

If your aim is to declutter sustainably and create as little waste as possible, rather than support a cause by donating to a relevant charity shop, the best way by far is start with trying to give the unwanted items away directly to the people who will use them.

Start with your immediate circle of family and friends, then try to give things away in your community for example through WhatsApp groups or the Olio app, and then go to specialised charities. For example, lots of people in our community give children’s clothing and equipment to Little Village, working laptops/desktop computers to Little Lives UK, and tinned food / dry food in date and unwanted toiletries to Wandsworth Food Bank.  

Once those avenues are exhausted: a local charity shop is a good option. Here are Gwendolyn’s top five rules of giving to charity shops.   

1.     Only give what can be sold: clean, undamaged items in good condition

Charity shops are there to make money for their cause, not to help us manage our waste. While they have systems to reduce waste, they will only put the things they can sell on their shelves and hangers. A large proportion of items donated to charities are never resold because they are dirty, stained, damaged, or just plain worn out. Unsold items are either sent directly landfill or in the case of textiles sold on to third parties as ‘rag’ which are then often exported by for-profit companies to the Global South where they become “someone else’s problem”, says Gwendolyn.

2.     Give clothes that are in season

Not all charity shops have the capacity or the infrastructure to store clothing that is not ‘in season’. Some charities will collect out of season items semi-regularly from their shops and pay for them to be transported and stored elsewhere. They then redistribute those seasonal items back to their shops for sale when the time is right. All of this adds up in both cost to the charity and to the CO2 emissions! So it’s best to check if the shop accepts ski jackets in June.

3.     Check what the charity shop needs

Before bringing things, check with the charity shop if they take/need those items. Some shops do not take children’s clothing, others – don’t take plus sizes, some shops like books, others – don’t.

Most charity shops won’t take furniture, but one notable exception is the British Heart Foundation’s specialist furniture shops.

4.     Organise your donations

If you are giving away lots of small items, group them together, so they are easier to sort, display and sell. Sort your Christmas baubles by colour or theme and put them in one bag, put Lego or Duplo bricks in bags or storage boxes, etc.

5.     Don’t buy what you don’t need

This should really be the main point: do not free space and then fill it with things you will need to declutter again next year. Choose quality over quantity. That way you avoid having to worry about getting rid of the things later.

If you’d like to learn more about Gwendolyn and the services they offer visit Gwen’s website.