Haul videos & closet clean out vlogs shed light to a big issue: We're over consuming clothes to then drop them off at the thrift store and not give them another thought! However, thrift stores are not able sell all of the items that get donated to them and many of these items end up going to the landfill or shipped off to poorer countries who don't want as much clothes as we're sending over to "help".
While giving to thrift stores is NOT a bad idea, here are some alternatives you can turn to before you drop off your donations:
Sell Your Items Yourself
Nowadays, there's a lot of options for you to sell your clothes second-hand - both online and in person. Platforms like Poshmark and Depop make it easy for you to list your clothing and ship it yourself. There's also online consignment shops, like ThreadUp, where you can send your clothing too. Another option that I've seen friends do is list their items on Facebook Marketplace or even just post about the items on their social media stories.
If selling online isn't your thing, there are in-person options as well that you can take advantage of! Thrift stores with booths have started becoming trendy - where you rent a booth for the week and leave the clothes you're trying to sell.
Swap With People You Know or Share on a 'Buy Nothing Group'
Personally, sometimes I just want to skip the hassle of deciding on a price for items and listing. Swapping with people you know can be a great win-win situation if you have something they would like or need. If no one in your circle wants the item your getting rid of, Buy Nothing Groups are a great way to see if anyone in your community could use it. You can find these groups on Facebook for your city, and people list items (for free!) that they don't need anymore all the time!
Upcycle Your Items Into Something New
Sometimes instead of getting rid of an item, you can just transform into something new! I've turned pants into skirts, reused containers for other items, and painted over art to make something new that better matches my current style. If you have fabric waste, you can also turn it into rags for cleaning or into stuffing! The possibilities are endless, and sometimes your items just need a breath of fresh life. :)
Send Unusable Items to Companies That Can Do Something About Them
All of these ideas are great and can really limit your waste - but what about things that are unusable or ruined? Think old dog toys, old rags, old underwear... Did you know there's still things you can do with those items?
There are companies like For Days or ReTold Recycling that have bags you can send unwanted textile waste in to them. It doesn't even have to just be old things, but this is one of the few alternatives we currently have to throwing it all in the garbage.
These are a few alternatives to donating to thrift stores, but try to not consume so much that needs to be donated in the first place! It takes practice, but you'll start seeing big differences when you change your shopping habits :)
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