5 Reasons To Recycle Your Unwanted Clothing
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

5 Reasons To Recycle Your Unwanted Clothing

Tips and motivation for cleaning out and rejuvenating your closet!

193
5 Reasons To Recycle Your Unwanted Clothing
Fibre2fashion

Don't let the perfectly good clothing that you no longer wear go to waste! There are a lot of reasons and lot of resources available that make recycling your old pieces easy, economical, and environmentally friendly.

1. Get organized

Cleaning out my closet is something I typically do biannually; once in the summer and once in the winter. i find that purging the clothes I no longer wear can prove to be cathartic. Instead of opening your closet doors to a mess of overstuffed bins, untidy shelves, clothes falling off of their hangers, or strewn on the floor, removing things you haven't worn in 2-3 months allows you to move your hanging clothes with more ease, and have more visibility of your little inventory. If you really want to go crazy, you can take this as an opportunity to organize by color and garment type.

2. Make some cash


The best perk of recycling your unwanted clothes is getting money back out of them. This works best when you are trying to rid yourself of nicer items that maybe don't fit anymore or don't fall in line with your current style because used clothing stores (like the one I work for) are able to buy brand-name items for a higher price.

Clothing sold at our store is priced at 50-75% off retail, and in-turn we offer around a third of that for each respective item that we want to purchase. We, and most other retail consignment stores, however, don't take everything that is presented to us. We search for on-trend pieces with little wear. If you clean out your closest frequently, it's not hard to find an abundance of items that fit this description.

Take note that selling your clothes to stores like these is most profitable when you have a lot of clothing you no longer want. If you have more time or are focused on getting rid of just a few items, or particularly nice items- for example, a pair of Vans you wore once that hurt your feet, or a designer watch that you got for Christmas that's color your not thrilled about- can sell for more on sites like Poshmark, ThredUp, or even Facebook Marketplace.

3. Do your part for society and the environment


While it's not the most glamorous perk, it is arguably one of the most important benefit of recycling your old clothes. With that being said, DO NOT THROW CLOTHES IN THE GARBAGE.

Even if you are unable to get money for them, many charities exist that rely to clothing donations to provide low-cost, affordable clothing for low-income families, or to generate money for other charitable acts.

Now brace yourself for this statistic, but Newsweek estimates that the US alone sends around 14 million tons of textiles to landfills each year. To put that into perspective, that's around 82 pounds of clothing per American. By passing our clothing along, we can keep from increasing those numbers.

4. Look cute for less

While it's important to recycle your clothes, buying recycled clothing is just as beneficial. In doing so, you promote businesses that facilitate this process and discourage the overproduction of textiles by clothing corporations.

Plus, it's great for your wallet! As previously mentioned, consignment stores price like-new clothing for half or more than half of what it's priced in other retail stores. Shopping secondhand can also help you cultivate a more one of a kind look, due to the vast variety of styles that are sold in one location.

5. Discourage slave labor


Another crucial factor in deciding to recycle your clothes or shop secondhand is that it means there is one less customer to stores that exploit employees overseas by paying them very small amounts of money to work long hours in poor conditions.

When you buy cheaper clothing straight from its source, you are more likely to be supporting a company that does, in fact, use these labor tactics. When you buy cheap clothing for a secondhand store, instead, you are a small, but significant step in breaking the cycle.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

47925
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

30403
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

954391
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

173181
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments