Dorset residents joined a clothes swapping event at the Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole on Saturday, November 16.
Switch It Clothing Exchange took place in the centre’s Eco Hub based with members of the public swapping unwanted women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, and shoes and bags, choosing different items to take home.
In the UK, an estimated £12.5 billion worth of clothing is thrown away, which equates to around 300,000 tonnes of textiles.
Shelley Louise, founder of Switch It Clothing Exchange, said: “It’s about helping the environment by saving items from being put in the bin and sent to landfill.”
Shelley has been running the social enterprise for three years and has hosted the Switch It Clothing Exchange event in the Eco Hub on a regular basis since the start of 2019.
John Grinnell, Dolphin Shopping Centre manager, said: “We have had a great response to the Switch It Clothing Exchange from visitors to the centre and hope that people will continue to support this fantastic event in our Eco Hub.”
The Eco Hub launched in 2018 as a free community space for customers and local organisations to use for a variety of events. Earlier this year, community fridges were installed in the Eco Hub to enable members of the public to donate unwanted, sealed food to prevent it from being thrown away.
For more information about the Dolphin Shopping Centre, visit www.dolphinshoppingcentre.co.uk