second hand clothes

Getting second-hand savvy

An essential part of reversing climate change is to stop producing so many new things, and make better use of what we have. Governments and businesses need to fundamentally change the way products are designed so that companies aren't allowed to ignore the environmental impact of what they produce, and only make good quality products that last. But there's also a lot we can do as individuals, such as choosing to support the second-hand market.

You can buy literally anything second hand, and very often you can get good quality items for free.

Where to buy second hand at a glance: 

There are lots of online shops and apps for pre-loved items. We've tried to list as many options as we could think of, but please let us know if we've missed any!

Clothes

Electrical items and homeware

Furniture

Borrowing

Finally, you can also consider borrowing items for a few days. This is great if you’re short of money and space or only need something for a brief time. Many areas have borrowing libraries and Library of Things lists them all for ease. There’s also Fat Llama if you prefer the online option.

Get stuff for free

  • You will find a range of items offered for free on these platforms: Olio, Freegle, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and Trash Nothing.
  • You can pick up free paint from any of our reuse and recycling centres except Barrowell Green in Enfield. Or find out all the ways to get reclaimed paint.
  • North London residents can collect free DIY materials, such as bricks, tiles, and timber, at the DIY reuse points located at Summers Lane and South Access Road reuse and recycling centres.
  • Renée Materials sells high quality reclaimed materials, including fabric, yarn, paper, leather, packaging, metal, wood, paint. They have an online shop and two hubs in north London.

What about items you no longer want?

Visit our page about selling or giving away something you don't want.

 

 

Related