I love thrift shopping. It’s more exciting to me than regular shopping because you never know what cool things you might find. My favorite thing about it is actually a great way to practice Sustainability. Thrift shopping keeps our oceans cleaner, reduces air pollution, reduces energy consumption, and reduces the amount of trash going into our landfills. I think there has been a stigma around thrift shopping that’s slowly changing, when you can actually find so many brands and styles that might not be current at other shops.
There has been a long standing stigma on thrift shopping, but the various benefits outweigh them. Shopping at thrift stores prevents clothes from piling up on the streets, the dumpsters, our landfills, and even our oceans. Second-hand clothing shops have popped up all over the United States.
Fast fashion has had negative impacts on the planet, but thrift shopping allows us to reuse and recycle clothing. Donating clothes to thrift stores significantly reduces waste. Less clothes being produced equals less water usage and less clothes ending up in landfills. Just one shirt can use up to a few gallons of water and more than 85% of textiles go to the dump.
If you’re new to thrift shopping or donating, it is pretty easy to start. Now with online shopping you don’t even need to hop in your car to buy some second-hand goodies. Depop and Poshmark are both popular websites where you can buy or post your clothes from the comfort of your own home. There are other online vintage thrift shops like Thrifted you can check out. If you want to shop in person, there are the classic thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Savers.
Join the growing thrifting community and start sustainably living by thrift shopping. Help save our planet, grab a friend, and start thrift shopping!