What to do with unwanted fur

Genuine fur is unethical but faux-fur harms the environment. No one would blame you if your once loved furry garments now put you off. Do they remain hidden away at the back of the wardrobe or are they being sent to the dump?

According to Oxfam, 3.6 billion clothes are left unworn in our closets across the nation, and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Plan) say that around £140 million worth of used clothes go to landfill each year. Luckily there is an easy way of ensuring your fur coat doesn’t overstay its welcome or end up cluttering the dump.

Disposing of real fur is relatively easy as it is biodegradable, so it could go in the compost at the back of the garden and would break down naturally over time. Faux-fur is a different story because the main component is acrylic, which is really tricky to decompose and equally as difficult to recycle. To stop fur going to waste, there have been creative ideas over the past few years to give fur coats, faux or not, a new life.

Teddy Bears, a local business from Massachusetts, has been reusing vintage fur coats to make toy bears since 2002. Whilst they use authentic fur, the same can be applied to faux-fur, which could make a thoughtful handmade gift. In addition to transforming furry clothes into toys, people have created rugs, earmuffs and scarves, as well renovating their current fur jackets to be more trendy.

Some rescue centres accept real furs to use as blankets so the stay of their furry residents is less unsettling. The Fox Project, a wildlife charity based in Kent, which treats around 700 foxes per year, recently received lots of donated fur coats from PETA which helped keep their injured foxes warm over winter.

However, despite PETA’s generous donation, sometimes fur is just not functional. Trevor Williams from The Fox Project said: “We do occasionally get offered fur coats, but we have no use for them. From a practical point of view, towels, fleece and vet beds are easier to use. We generally suggest to the coat owner that they contact PETA or VIVA, who could possibly use them in their anti-fur campaign.” Always check with the rescue centre before bringing in your fur to avoid creating more hassle.

If you won’t wear your fur coat, its guaranteed a homeless person will. Coats which have been donated to PETA have been sent to women and children across Africa, because as the animal rights charity say: “The homeless and needy are the only people who have any excuse for wearing fur.”

Recently they have donated old fur coats to freezing refugees in Syria and Calais. You can clear your conscience by sending your coat to their office in London, or why not help a local homeless person in your area today?

Trends change, and if so has your love for furs, don’t let them remain untouched for years. Nor throw them away. Help the homeless, a local animal rescue centre, or creatively reuse it at home yourself. “While we cannot erase the cruelty of our past, we can pay homage to these lost animals,” BangBangfur, an accessory business that recycles fur says, and disposing or wasting furs is not giving lost animals that respect.