How to Recycle Your Outdoor Gear

Help protect rough sleepers and the planet

Giving outdoor gear a second life

Over 320,000 people are homeless in the UK*, many without the proper clothing or gear to stay warm and dry. Meanwhile, an estimated £30 billion worth of unused clothing sits in wardrobes, and £140 million ends up in landfill each year**.

Our 2nd Life initiative gives unused outdoor gear a new purpose—keeping vulnerable people safe from the elements while reducing waste.

*Source: Shelter 2018

‌**Source: Wrap https://wrap.org.uk/

What can you donate?

We’re looking for:

Outdoor jackets
Outdoor trousers
Sleeping bags
Hats and gloves
Base layers
Fleeces
Insulated clothing

Warm, insulated jackets and sleeping bags are especially needed. Please ensure all items are clean and, where possible, reproofed.

Where to donate

Drop off your items at these stores:

Or post your items to us. Simply call 0808 164 0600 or email customer.services@ellis-brigham.com, marking all parcels with: 2nd Life Donation.

Your impact

In the first year, over 2 tonnes of clothing were redirected from landfill to homeless charities.

“On cold nights in Glasgow, your donated jackets, fleeces, and sleeping bags make a real difference. It might sound small, but it’s life-changing for the people we meet.” – Volunteer, The Invisibles

“Winter in London is harsh. Proper sleeping bags and warm coats save lives.” – Project Manager, SCT

Our charity partners

Spitalfields Crypt Trust

SCT is an East London charity helping the local community to recover from homelessness, addictions, and other complex needs. Founded in 1965, SCT addresses the growing problems caused by poverty, unemployment, mental illness, and the criminal justice system. The charity supports people’s needs holistically - working on long-term improvements to housing, employability, health, and social connections. They believe many aspects of people’s lives need careful attention in order to help people achieve lasting recovery, which means they offer a wide variety of support services, including a residential recovery hostel, supported housing, a training and development centre, drop-in facilities for homeless people, two social enterprises offering a supportive training ground for those who want to take the next step, and eight charity shops, all in East London.

Barnabus Manchester

Barnabus is a Christian Homeless Charity in Manchester bringing hope and transformation to people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping in our city for 30 years. They empower and equip people experiencing homelessness back into a home through their street outreach, support centre, healthcare and resettlement tenancy scheme. Barnabus operate an early morning session specifically for people who have slept out overnight. The charity also helps with emergency accommodation, recovery from addictions, safeguarding and supporting physical and mental health needs. They also enable and equip people with the life skills they need and encouragement to succeed at independent living.

The Invisibles

Our Scottish stores have selected to support The Invisibles - a Glasgow based homeless charity. They are an entirely voluntary organisation, made up of people of all ages with a variety of roles in life. There is a large and often ignored homeless community in Glasgow. Indeed, even if a solitary individual is forced to sleep rough in our city, we should all consider that number to be one too many. At The Invisibles, the main focus is to equip rough sleepers with a variety of items to keep them as warm and comfortable as possible whilst they remain on the streets. Whilst rough sleepers are charity's main priority, they also support those suffering from other forms of poverty by liaising with night shelters.

Spitalfields Crypt Trust

SCT is an East London charity helping the local community to recover from homelessness, addictions, and other complex needs. Founded in 1965, SCT addresses the growing problems caused by poverty, unemployment, mental illness, and the criminal justice system. The charity supports people’s needs holistically - working on long-term improvements to housing, employability, health, and social connections. They believe many aspects of people’s lives need careful attention in order to help people achieve lasting recovery, which means they offer a wide variety of support services, including a residential recovery hostel, supported housing, a training and development centre, drop-in facilities for homeless people, two social enterprises offering a supportive training ground for those who want to take the next step, and eight charity shops, all in East London.

Barnabus Manchester

Barnabus is a Christian Homeless Charity in Manchester bringing hope and transformation to people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping in our city for 30 years. They empower and equip people experiencing homelessness back into a home through their street outreach, support centre, healthcare and resettlement tenancy scheme. Barnabus operate an early morning session specifically for people who have slept out overnight. The charity also helps with emergency accommodation, recovery from addictions, safeguarding and supporting physical and mental health needs. They also enable and equip people with the life skills they need and encouragement to succeed at independent living.

The Invisibles

Our Scottish stores have selected to support The Invisibles - a Glasgow based homeless charity. They are an entirely voluntary organisation, made up of people of all ages with a variety of roles in life. There is a large and often ignored homeless community in Glasgow. Indeed, even if a solitary individual is forced to sleep rough in our city, we should all consider that number to be one too many. At The Invisibles, the main focus is to equip rough sleepers with a variety of items to keep them as warm and comfortable as possible whilst they remain on the streets. Whilst rough sleepers are charity's main priority, they also support those suffering from other forms of poverty by liaising with night shelters.

How to Recycle your Outdoor Gear