Clearing out old clothing for recycling or giving to charity is often something we are all guilty of putting off. It’s troublesome and tiring, not to mention difficult – what if I get rid of this top I’ve not worn in three years, only to regret it in the future?

However, as climate emergencies are declared across the world it is becoming increasingly important we make a sustainable choice in the disposal of unwanted clothing. In the UK, there is an estimated £30 billion worth of clothing lying in wardrobes unused with a further £140 million worth ending up in landfill every year. This is not only extremely wasteful of our planet’s finite resources, but also of our own finite finances.

So how does it work? To start, each person brings along as many unwanted pieces they are ready to part with, all of which are sorted and displayed in the ‘swishing room’. It’s probably easiest if this room is separate from the rest of the party – for example, if you’re holding the event in your house, a bedroom might be best. All the guests can then go and ‘shop’ in the swishing room.

There are a couple of ways you can organise how guests will actually shop. A common route is to give guests tokens in exchange for donations, which can then be spent on some new pieces. Or, you can make your swishing a fundraiser as well, and have guests make a monetary donation per piece of clothing they’d like to take home.

This is how my annual family swishing works. Every October, my mum’s cousin Carole-Anne hosts a swishing for all of her female family and friends as part of her fundraising efforts for Wear It Pink, in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We all wear pink clothes, drink pink fizz, eat pink cakes, play games, and donate money to take something from the swishing room. It’s an important night for us because it’s a lovely way to commemorate our loved ones lost to breast cancer.