Things You Can Do With Your Old School Uniform

Based on the statistics by the National Environmental Agency, 137 tonnes of textile and leather are being thrown away in 2020. However, only six tonnes of it is being recycled. This means that only a mere 4% of all textiles and leather thrown away are being recycled.

Over the years from 2016 to 2019, textiles and leather consistently has one of the lowest recycling rates out of all the things that are being disposed of. No more than 7% of all these materials have been recycled throughout those years.

This is a worrying sign in light of Singapore’s diminishing landfill space to hold all these unwanted textiles and leather. According to an article by Roadrunner, it takes about 200+ years for textiles to decompose in landfills. Thus, there is a burning need to start recycling, reducing or repurposing clothing.

Old school uniforms are one of the contributors to this waste as we do not wear our school uniform beyond our schooling years. Most school uniforms are not accepted by donation drives due to the logo of the schools.

Here are some places that you can donate your unwanted old school uniforms if they are in a good and re-wearable condition.

2 Places to donate your school uniform

1. Your school

Ask your school if they would like to accept old school uniforms. Some of them might consider taking them as these uniforms can be used for students who need replacement uniforms when they have dirtied or torn their uniform in school.

Furthermore, you may check with schools on which charity drive you can donate your uniforms to.

2. Pass on to friends and neighbours who need it

If you know of someone who needs the school uniform that you no longer wear or need, give it to them for free. It can be your juniors or neighbours who attend the same school as you.

2 Places to recycle old school uniforms

If your school uniform is in tatters and can no longer be given away or re-worn. Here are some good places that you can drop off your old school uniforms.

In case you are unaware, you are not supposed to throw unwanted old clothing into the big blue recycling bins that you can find below our HDB blocks or landed property. For more information on what you can throw into these big blue bins, you can refer to this link.

Many fast fashion companies, such as forever 21, H&M, have received backlash for promoting fast fashion and generating a lot of textile waste. As a result, these companies have started recycling projects to ameliorate the situation.

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1. H&M Garment Collection program

This garment collection program is a global initiative by H&M to set out a sustainable fashion future. You can drop your bag of unwanted clothing in any recycling box which can be found in their stores. They accept any brand, any condition of textiles. For every bag of textiles you drop off, you will receive a voucher that can be used on your next purchase.

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2. ZARA clothes collection

Similar to H&M, Zara accepts clothing of any brand or condition. These clothes will then be sorted out to be donated to non-profit organizations, recycled or transformed into new fabrics. Using recycled materials decreases the consumption of energy and water needed to make new materials while reducing the volume of waste. This is a win-win situation for all.

Places to sell or buy pre-loved school uniforms

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1. Carousell

In case you don’t know, you can now sell and buy pre-loved school uniforms on carousell for a fraction of the price or even free. This can help you save a good sum of money that can be used to finance other things.

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2. School Kaki

School Kaki is a Facebook group that was originally started by a group of parents. It is a private group that is meant for sharing pre-loved school-related items. People have posted used textbooks, assessment books, school uniforms and even school materials, such as stationeries and school bags.

If you have preloved school items that you would like to contribute, be sure to join this Facebook group.

Apart from using these old school uniforms as cleaning clothes or insulating materials, here are some interesting ideas that you can repurpose your school uniforms into. Be sure to get your parents approval before embarking on any of these projects.

How you can repurpose your uniform

1. Make paper

Yes, you did not see wrongly. You can actually make paper using old fabrics. Though the process may not be an easy one, the end product is certainly worthwhile. The paper created will not be as smooth as the ones that you used on a daily basis. However, it would use them to make cards or use them as decorative pieces.

If you are interested, you can click here for the steps on how this person makes paper from unwanted textiles.

2. Quilts/ Cushion covers

If you are good at sewing, you can consider making quits or cushion covers out of your old school uniforms. Simply look up Pinterest and you would be able to get ideas on how to get yourself started. You can also check out the links here (Quilts) and here (Cushion cover) on how to make these items with your old school uniform.

3. New clothes

If you are up for a challenge or an advanced tailor, you can even repurpose your old school uniforms into new clothes. Here is a link on how someone managed to repurpose her old school uniform into a dress.

I am sure you will be able to find many other ideas on how to repurpose your old school uniforms on YouTube or Pinterest. Let's do our part and start recycling our old school uniforms today!

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