International charity Oxfam has announced its campaign encouraging people to only buy second-hand clothes for the month of September.

The Second-Hand September campaign challenges the nation to "dare to rewear".

Geraldine Carton, co-founder of The Useless Project, told Newstalk Breakfast that she thinks the initiative is "a great idea".

"Today we're very much living in a kind of disposable society", she said.

"People often wear an item of clothing once before throwing it out or they feel that they need to buy a new outfit for every night out or occasion."

Carton believes our consumer habits are leading to a "huge amount of waste".

"What Second-Hand September is trying to do, is just trying to encourage people to shop second hand and look for different options as opposed to always buying fast fashion and single use", she explains.

And charity shopping doesn't necessarily have to mean less choice, or lower quality.

Higher quality

"Charity shops, vintage shops, they're treasure troves of absolutely gems and one of a kind pieces that you're definitely not going to find on the high street."

"Someone isn't going to be able to just copy you off a whim."

Clothing bought 20 years ago that people may drop in a charity shop is much more "made to last" than today's apparel.

"You really get fantastic items but also really higher quality stuff", says Ms Carton.

Shop wealthy areas

While all charity shops have improved in their layout and organisation, her "tongue and cheek recommendation" is to go to charity shops in more wealthy areas.

There, she says, shoppers can buy pieces originally from "a higher price range" for much less.

Listen back to the full conversation here.

Main image shows second-hand clothes on a rail. Picture by: Olena Smyrnova/Alamy