Dozens of clothing donation banks in southwest England are set to close as charities and local authorities blame a surge in low-quality fast fashion for overwhelming textile recycling systems and undermining second-hand markets.
The Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL), which operates clothes and textile banks across the United Kingdom, said it will remove 27 clothing bank sites in Devon after a strategic review of how its network can be managed sustainably. The charity said the volume of used garments entering the system, much of it cheap fast fashion with little resale value, has become unsustainable and placed pressure on processing capacity.
“The rise in cheap, low quality clothing is causing a huge problem for the second hand textile industry and the environment,” Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, vice-chair of the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee, said in comments reflecting local officials’ concerns. She encouraged people to reuse clothes through charity shops or swaps with others as an environmentally preferable alternative.
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SATCoL said the adjustment of its clothing bank network will allow it to deploy resources more effectively to manage the high and growing volumes of donated textiles across the UK. While some banks are being removed, the charity said its network of more than 250 shops will continue to operate and that alternative donation options remain available.
Industry observers say that the flood of inexpensive garments produced by fast fashion brands has depressed the global market for used clothing, making it harder for charities to resell donated items and increasing the cost of recycling or disposal. The closures in Devon reflect wider challenges facing textile reuse systems in Britain and beyond as low-value clothing fills recycling streams.
Environmental campaigners say the surge in clothing consumption, driven by fast fashion trends, carries a heavy carbon footprint and contributes to waste management pressures, highlighting the need for greater emphasis on reuse over recycling.
