How to Recycle Old School Uniforms

Why Pre-loved School Uniforms?

Buying school clothes pre-loved or second hand can offer a great way to save some money on the school shop, and do something good for the planet. The shoes and clothes we receive via our takeback schemes are hand sorted, and we pick the ones that can be worn again and find them a new home with someone who will get the wear out of them that they deserve.

Because we know that sometimes kids grow quicker than we can get a handle on, and before you know it, they’ve shot up two inches and that age 9-10 jumper barely reaches their elbows.

The Growing Trend in Sustainability

Buying pre-loved uniforms, and sending your old stuff to us via a takeback scheme are great ways to do your bit for the planet. 

Because school uniform can get very grubby during its playground days, it’s important to find the best ways to recycle old uniforms so they don’t end up in landfill. We’ve got some great recycling partners who work with different fabrics to make sure everything we can’t rehome gets a new life as something else.

The Benefits of Pre-loved School Uniforms

Economical Advantages

Hey, we love a discount as much as the next person. That’s why David Luke and Kickers are both offering voucher codes to spend in their store as a thank you for sending your takeback to us. 

Kickers offer a £15 voucher for each pair of adults or kids shoes you send, which you can redeem against on a minimum spend of £60. David Luke are also saying thank you with a £5 voucher you can redeem when you spend £40 on their website.

Environmental Impact

When you send your clothes and shoes to us, you can be sure that we’re doing the right thing, and nothing goes to landfill. We prioritise the items that come to us getting a new home first and foremost, or being responsibly recycled when they’re too far gone.

Community Support

When money is tight, school uniform can be an expense that some parents struggle with. So it’s important that we keep good clothes in circulation for as long as we can, so that we can keep prices low for those in need.

How to Buy Pre-loved School Uniforms

Ready to shop pre-loved for their uniforms this year? Here are our best handy tips.

• Check out local thrift stores and charity shops. The ones closest to your kids’ school are the best bet, and they often have a “back to school” section that you can find for much cheaper prices than retail stores. 
• Online marketplaces. Check out eBay and other online marketplaces to quickly search uniforms and find great deals.
• Look for bundles. Parents are often selling bundles of their children’s uniforms for reduced prices. If you find the size and colour you need, this can be a really cheap and easy way to do all of your shopping at once.
• Set up a school resell system. Why not contact your child’s school and set up a network of parents to sell or donate old uniforms that their children are finished with, for the younger years. This is great for any uniform that has a school crest or is school specific. 

Tips for Finding the Right Fit 

Finding the perfect fit is crucial for uniforms and school shoes. There’s nothing worse than finding out the pair of brand new shoes are blister-givers, or the school dress is suddenly too tight.

Take your child to a local school shop or department store and try on clothes for the next school year during the summer holidays. This gives them a chance to work out what feels comfy, which styles work best and what sizes you might need.

It’s always a good idea to choose clothes a little bit on the bigger side, so that there’s room for the inevitable growth.

For shoes, if there’s a style that you know works for your child and is comfortable and durable, go into their store and get their feet measured to make sure you know the right size. There’s a reason that Kickers have been school shoe favourites for nearly 20 years.

If it ain’t broke - no need to fix it.

Checking for Quality and Cleanliness

At Reskinned, we’re proud to only sell the best quality pre-loved, and we keep it clean with our state of the art o-zone cleansing machine and our team of dedicated clothes sprucer-uppers.

When looking for pre-loved school uniform, check for bobbling, wear and any stains or dirt marks that you might not be able to get out.

How to Sell or Donate Pre-loved School Uniforms

It’s time for that summer clear-out. What better rainy day activity (and you know we’ve had a lot of them this summer), than to get your kids to scoop up all of their old school stuff and work out what to do with it next.

If their old uniform can be traded in via our takeback schemes, lucky you. It’s as easy as picking your items, generating the label (which you can print at home or in store) and packing up their old uniforms to send to us - completely for free.

The minute we receive your package we’ll validate your voucher codes, and you can get ahead of the game and start shopping for new school things.

Preparing Uniforms for Takeback or Resale

We’re not fussy on how you send back their old uniforms. As long as it’s pretty clean, we accept it in all states, so don’t worry about pesky stains, marks or rips.

If you want to resell your uniform however, it’s important to make sure it’s freshly cleaned and any imperfections are clearly listed. You might also want to donate your uniform to a local charity shop or charity - just make sure they are still in usable condition.

Tips for Caring for Pre-loved School Uniforms

Cleaning Guidelines

Keep your kids uniforms looking fresh for as long as possible by taking good care of them.

Always check the label of your item to make sure you wash it via the instructions. Different brands and companies make clothes with slightly different fabric contents, so they will need to be washed at their optimum temperature to stay looking their best.

In general, cooler temperatures keep clothes great for longer, and are better for the planet, so we usually recommend them!

It’s a good idea to have a spot-cleaner on hand for the inevitable pesky stains. This will save polo shirts and shirts from the inevitable tomato-pasta disaster fate. (It happens to all of us).

Repairing Wear and Tear

Most of the time small rips and tears are easily mendable with a needle and thread, and can allow your child’s uniform to last for as long as possible.

Keep an old pair of school trousers or a skirt to use to patch up rips, save old buttons to replace any that get lost, and invest in some hem tape to make dropped hems a thing of the past (it’s as easy as ironing the hem back up).

Storing for Future Use

Use plastic boxes and sealed plastic garment bags to store old uniform safely away for later use.

Especially if you have kids a few years younger, it’s important to preserve them in the best state so you can pull them out when they’re needed. And if you want to be extra organised, individual bags for different ages that are clearly labelled might be the way forward.

Conclusion

Recap of Benefits and Opportunities

So why send old school uniform to Reskinned? 

• You’ll get a voucher to spend on their new uniform, or some shoes for you.
• Nothing goes to landfill. Nothing gets incinerated. We make sure everything is rehomed or responsibly recycled.
• Keep good uniforms in the hands of the kids who will wear them the most, and the parents who need them the most.
• Once we receive your items, we’ll automatically send your voucher codes right to your inbox, so there’s no need to wait. Last minute families - rejoice!

Spread the Word

An idea shared is far more powerful than an idea kept quiet. How can you spread the word about Reskinned’s takeback schemes and how you can sustainably get rid of last year’s uniforms?

We’re excited to see schools getting involved - can you set up an incentive for your child’s class, or even their whole school?

Additional Resources

If you have old kids Grass & Air wellies, we also offer a takeback scheme for those, and they’ll send you a £5 voucher to say thanks.

Recycle Now have an easy search bar to help you find the nearest clothes recycling bank to you, so you can recycle any old schoolwear and other clothes and shoes responsibly.

This guide by SchoolGuide has all the information you need about how to get a grant to afford new school uniform for parents and families who are struggling.

Recycle School Uniform CIC collects donated school uniforms and re-sells the donated uniform items at an affordable price.

School Uniform Bank have donation bins around the country for old uniforms.