Textile Reuse and Recycling Map for Tower Hamlets

Yodomo partnered with Hackney Wick and Fish Island Community Development Trust and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to launch a new learning and behavioural change project, funded by the Carbon Reduction Community Grants Programme. The project set out to map the many existing and emerging textile waste initiatives across Tower Hamlets, helping residents and businesses find sustainable options for their unwanted textiles.

Textile waste is one of the largest contributors to global pollution, yet many residents and businesses in Tower Hamlets lack clear guidance on the sustainable options available to them. The project aimed to bridge that gap — collating the borough's reuse centres, scrap stores, recycling centres, mending workshops, maker groups, swap shops, shredders, pre-loved shops and repair cafes into a single, accessible resource, and helping residents understand the difference between textile reuse and recycling.

The finished map launched in September 2024 as three complementary resources: 

• A printed map, distributed through local Idea Stores for residents without smartphones
• A digital Google Map, kept up to date as new initiatives come forward
• An online and printable guide, explaining the textile waste issue and how residents can act

Together, these resources highlight clothing and textile banks, repair services and workshops, pre-loved shops, sewing and mending courses at Idea Stores, local sustainable textile designers, and reuse and recycling hubs — including lesser-known services such as repair offered by local dry cleaners.

Ahead of launch, Yodomo invited businesses and initiatives working to reduce textile waste in Tower Hamlets to contribute via an open call-out, ensuring the map reflected the full range of local activity. The digital map continues to be updated as new initiatives come forward, with future editions of the print map planned.

The project was managed by Yodomo in collaboration with Hackney Wick and Fish Island CDT, with graphic design by Sam Holliday Design and print production by Wick Design.
By making sustainable choices easy, local and visible, the map empowers residents to take an active role in reducing textile waste and cutting emissions through coordinated local action.

By July 2026, over 20,000 people had visited the online version of the map which is here.

Launched September 2024