How to get paid for donating and recycling clothes

M&S, John Lewis and H&M will all pay you for your old clothes – but is it worth the hassle?

Marketplace apps such as Vinted also enable you to sell your old clothes (iStock)

If you’re planning to have a clearout or a wardrobe refresh, then selling, donating or recycling your pre-loved clothes instead of throwing them away is a no-brainer. These days, there are tons of ways to do just that.

Retail giants such as M&S, John Lewis, Asda and River Island all run schemes that provide you with vouchers to spend in exchange for your old clothes. But how do these stack up to platforms such as Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, which enable you to list items for sale in just a few clicks?

As a consumer writer who has written about recycling, online marketplaces and side-hustles for years, I wanted to share the pros and cons for various voucher schemes, so you can decide which option suits you best.

To be clear, I haven’t tested out each of these schemes – I’m evaluating them based on the discounts they offer, how much you’ll need to donate and how easy the process appears to be compared with using apps such as Vinted.

Keep scrolling to find out how you can get paid for donating and recycling your old clothes.

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How to get paid for donating your old clothes

H&M: Get a £5 voucher

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What can I get?

You can get a £5 voucher that can be used either in-store or online when you spend £25 or more. This will need to be used within six months of it being issued.

What do I need to donate?

You can donate unwanted textiles from any brand. H&M told us that one voucher is issued per shopping bag of clothes you hand over. There isn’t a minimum number of items that need to be donated.

Bring these in to an H&M store and pop them in a ‘garment recycling box’, which you can usually find by the tills. Talk to a member of staff and they should issue you with a voucher.

What will happen to my clothes?

According to H&M, most items will be resold and the rest will be repurposed or recycled.

Is it worth it?

This is the lowest minimum spend of any voucher on this list, plus you have a decent amount of time to make your purchase before it expires. If I was going to use any of these schemes, it would probably be this one.

M&S: Get a £5 voucher

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What can I get?

You can get a £5 voucher on a minimum spend of £35 at M&S. You’ll have four weeks from the date of issue to use it.

What do I need to donate?

M&S has two different schemes for passing on pre-loved clothes. You can either:

• Bring your clothes into an Oxfam store and be given a paper voucher to spend in-store
• Give your clothes to M&S by scanning a QR code in-store, or filling out a form on its website and arranging a courier collection

To get your voucher, the donation will need to include one M&S-labelled item. However, there isn’t a minimum number of items that need to be donated.

What will happen to my clothes?

If you bring your clothes to Oxfam, it will resell or recycle them. Recycled clothes are usually turned into mattress filling or carpet underlay, according to the charity.

But if you send them in using M&S’s new scheme, they will be resold on its new eBay store, with 15 per cent of the money made going to Oxfam. If it can’t resell your clothes, it says they will be “responsibly repurposed or recycled”.

Is it worth it?

Through the new scheme, M&S is essentially selling your clothes on eBay on your behalf and giving you a £5 voucher for it. Keep in mind that you always have the option to list the items on eBay yourself, where you’ll get all the profit and be able to spend that money wherever you want.

Bringing your clothes into Oxfam may be a convenient option for those who would rather donate items in person. It’ll also enable Oxfam, a non-profit, to benefit from reselling the clothes – though M&S has said that 15 per cent of the profits it makes through its new eBay scheme will go to Oxfam.

On top of all this, the minimum spend being £35 is pretty steep. It means the voucher will cover less than 15 per cent of your total purchase at most, so you may prefer to opt for a different scheme that gives you better value.

Asda: Get 10 per cent off at George

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What can I get?

You can get a 10 per cent off voucher for use online only at Asda’s clothing brand, George. This will be redeemable towards full-priced clothes, footwear and accessories, and can be used within 30 days of issue.

What do I need to donate?

You’ll need to donate 10 items of clothing from any brand, in any condition. Pack them into a parcel and bring it in to an Asda store. Here, you can scan a QR code and you’ll be emailed your voucher. See George for full details.

What will happen to my clothes?

George says all collected items will be reused or recycled.

Is it worth it?

What’s good about this scheme is that your items don’t need to be in good nick. There’s also no minimum spend on the voucher. If you go to Asda regularly, it might be worth having a look through your wardrobe and seeing if you have anything to give.

John Lewis: Get £5 off a clothing rental

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What can I get?

Members of the My John Lewis loyalty scheme can get £5 towards its fashion rental service by donating unwanted clothes.

What do I need to donate?

You’ll need to donate at least five items of clothing from any brand. Damaged clothes will also be accepted. Once you’ve joined My John Lewis, go to any of its fashion tills, hand over your pre-loved clothes and show your loyalty card to get your voucher.

However, you can’t hand over underwear, swimwear, shoes, towels, bedding or nightwear.

What will happen to my clothes?

John Lewis says that donated clothes will go to charity shops, secondary markets or, if the clothes are unwearable, they will be repurposed as other products such as pet bedding.

Is it worth it?

If you were already looking to use John Lewis’s fashion rental service, then yes, you may as well dig through your wardrobe and see if you can donate five items to get the discount.

River Island: Get a £5 voucher

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What can I get?

You can get a £5 River Island voucher that can be used in-store or online when you spend £40 or more. This will expire one month after the date of issue.

What do I need to donate?

You’ll need to donate at least three items from any brand. It’ll accept bras, but not other underwear, socks or swimwear. Your donated items can be dropped off at a River Island store or sent via a courier – see River Island for more information.

What will happen to my clothes?

River Island says that around 30 per cent of donated clothes will be resold by its partner, Reskinned. Around 40 per cent will be reused elsewhere and 30 per cent recycled.

Is it worth it?

You may be seeing a pattern here, but if you regularly shop at River Island, you may as well bring in a couple of items to donate while you’re there. But if you’re going to go through the trouble of packaging and sending the item, you may as well sell them yourself – more on that below.

My verdict: you’re better off selling your clothes yourself

From a money-making perspective, these schemes are very unlikely to be as lucrative as selling your clothes on platforms such as Vinted, eBay or Facebook Marketplace. None of these platforms have selling fees and they’re all easy to use, even if you’re not the most tech-savvy, so this is likely your best bet if making some extra cash is your main goal.

For those looking to help the planet, you may be better off donating to a charity shop if the clothes are in good nick, or taking them to a garment recycling point if they’re not.

All of the schemes above are marketed as sustainable initiatives, but by issuing vouchers, they’re still encouraging you to buy more. Overconsumption and fast fashion are a big part of the reason clothes end up in landfill, and one of the best things you can do to avoid waste – and save money – is simply to buy fewer new clothes.

However, if you shop regularly at any of these stores, and they’re convenient for you to visit, you might find these schemes worthwhile. Just make sure you check the expiry date on any vouchers and spend them before they run out.