Families urged to reuse or recycle school uniform to save cash and cut down on 350 tonnes of plastic ending up in landfill every year
Families urged to reuse or recycle school uniform to save cash and cut down on 350 tonnes of plastic ending up in landfill every year
8 comments
Given the price of these clothes, who doesn’t do that anyway?
Would probably help if schools weren’t still specifying uniforms with completely unnecessary branding.
A recent example I spotted: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/tenterden/news/we-cant-expect-to-please-everyone-266379/ (note the tiny logo on the trousers/skirt)
Schools are supposed to be following new “[statutory guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms)” (which seems like an oxymoron to me) to keep branding to a minimum. But this looks toothless since the only dispute resolution mechanism appears to be essentially the schools themselves.
I would suggest the guidance needs to become law and should go further – mandating that branding can only be in the form of a tie and/or single sew-on patch or pin badge.
Of course this is unlikely to happen while the Cons remain in power as they’ll pander to the branded uniform companies (and families that can’t afford that should sew their own clothes “like mother did”).
Government needs to crack down on the uniform scam. Schools are forcing parents to pay huge prices for cheap tat just because it needs an exclusive logo. Forcing a monopoly on the outfit by demanding tiny logos is causing uniforms to be designer outfits.
The YMCA in my town have a Uniform Exchange.
What it amounts to is that you take your uniform that is no good to. You and give it to them. Then see if they have any uniform that is any use to you.
Before discovering this, we did similar at school anyway, passing on clothes to kids in lower year groups. This is just that on a grander scale.
It’s great and it’s saved us hundreds of pounds.
This looks like a good idea, haven’t used it myself yet:
https://uniformerly.co.uk/
As a teacher, I’m of the view that uniform should be as simple as possible – grey/black/navy trousers or skirt, white shirt and then the blazer or jumper can be branded, but why not sell badges that can be ironed/sewed on at home to generic items?
More schools are doing uniform swaps though where parents can deposit old uniform and pick up new items
I know there are a bunch of arguments for why school kids should wear uniforms, though I can never remember what they are exactly. But when I see news like this I just have to ask, again, what’s the point? Even if there is some very good reason, is it enough to trump all of the wastage?
Why are the uniforms made of plastic?