Mid Ulster District Council Encourages Residents to Give Halloween Costumes and Christmas Jumpers a Second Life
Mid Ulster District Council is encouraging residents to swap it, wear it, reuse it this Halloween and Christmas, with free Swap Shop events designed to help households save money and reduce waste.
Every year, thousands of perfectly good Halloween costumes and Christmas jumpers are thrown away simply because they have been outgrown, or their owners fancy a change. This comes at a cost not only to household budgets, but also to the environment.
This year, Mid Ulster District Council is asking residents to help give these items a second life by donating unwanted Halloween costumes and Christmas jumpers at any of the Council’s local recycling centres.
The donated items will then be made available through local SWAP shops, where residents can browse and pick up pre-loved costumes and jumpers for free – helping them save money while also choosing reuse over buying new.
Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Deirdre Varsani, welcomed the initiative:
This is a fun and novel way to help protect our environment and help families save some money. Halloween costumes and Christmas jumpers are another household expense for families at an already expensive time of the year. Let’s check the wardrobes for those costumes and Christmas jumpers we know we won’t use again and donate them to help make someone else’s Halloween or Christmas. By choosing to reuse, we can reduce the amount of perfectly good clothing going to waste, save valuable resources and help households keep some money in their pockets. And, of course, you never know what pre-loved treasure you might find at one of our SWAP shops!
Residents can donate unwanted Halloween costumes at any of the Council’s local recycling centres until Saturday, 17 October 2026.
The donated costumes will then be available at a SWAP shop taking place as part of the Council’s Halloween event at Mid Ulster Sports Arena on Saturday, 24 October 2026.
Unwanted Christmas jumpers can also be donated at any of the Council’s local recycling centres until Saturday, 21 November 2026.
The Christmas Jumper SWAP shop will take place in Ranfurly House, Dungannon on Saturday, 28 November as part of the town’s Christmas lights switch on event.
Residents are encouraged to take a look through their wardrobes and donate costumes and jumpers that are clean, wearable and no longer needed.
Whether you are looking for a spooky outfit for Halloween or a festive jumper for Christmas, residents are invited to come along to their local SWAP shop and give a pre-loved item a new home.
Swap it. Wear it. Reuse it.
By extending the life of clothing and choosing pre-loved items, Mid Ulster residents can help reduce waste, support a more circular approach to consumption and make seasonal celebrations a little kinder to both the environment and household budgets.
Find your closest recycling centre.