Turn your unwanted clothing into vital funds for GNAAS

Last year we made a huge change to our clothing recycling operation to help protect the planet and stop bag thefts.

Since May 2023, our Trading Company which collects and recycles used clothing no longer distributes clothing bags and only picks up arranged collections.

Clothing donated by the public is recycled by our team and the funds generated from it is reinvested back into the charity.

Upon reviewing our operations we found that for every 1,000 bags our team delivered through people’s doors, we received an average of 35 bags full of donations when they were collected a few days later.

We’ve also encountered issues of bag thefts in the past, and occasionally receive reports of people in unmarked vans picking up our bags.

To help reduce plastic usage and bag thefts, as well as save the charity money, we decided to cease the distribution of bags and instead focus our efforts on our pre-arranged collections, where our supporters can book collections on our website, via social media or over the phone.

Phil Hall, commercial projects manager at GNAAS, said: “By solely offering arranged collections we will be saving at least 938 gallons of diesel per year and reducing the amount of plastic being distributed to our supporters. This should also help to reduce the amount of bag thefts we’ve encountered in the past, as we will be picking up bags at pre-arranged times.

“I’d like to thank the thousands of people who have supported our charity over the years by donating their unwanted clothing. While we may no longer be posting bags through doors, we hope the public keep us in mind when they’re next having a clear-out.”

While clothing is the main item that our team collects, we also take coats, shoes (in pairs), belts, handbags, and mobile phones.

Please note that unfortunately, we don’t accept any type of bedding or household textiles such as curtains, books, or bric-a-brac. Accepting these items actually costs the charity money as we can’t sell them on.

No one else collects on our behalf and we are not connected to any other air ambulance service so if you receive a bag through the door that looks like it is from us (likely featuring a helicopter) please be aware it is not from GNAAS.

We have our own collection vans which are GNAAS branded and employ all of our drivers so everything you donate goes directly to us to help our cause.

We receive a very good price for the clothing we collect from our buyers, many of whom are based in mainland Europe. Donated items are often sold in clothing shops; nothing is shredded or sold as rags.

Our clothing collection service is available from Monday to Friday, and the areas our team visit include County Durham, the Wear Valley, Tees Valley, Northumberland and Cumbria.

To arrange a collection at a time that suits you, call our team on 01325 308 139, fill out the enquiry form online or message our Facebook page.

We also have four operational clothing banks where you can drop off your pre-loved clothes.

The locations of these banks are: