Happy Spring! It’s been a hot minute between now and my last post but, just like the weather, lots of changes have been taking place in my life and I’m still getting into a routine as I prepare for some big plans coming up this Summer. One major thing is that I will actually be moving out of the country this Summer. I’ll give you guys all the details later on but there is some context for ya!

Anyone else looking to do some major Spring cleaning??? I love getting a chance to purge all of my possessions and moving out of the country is a great reason for me to look at everything I own and asking myself what to take with me, what to put in storage, and what to throw away. The main thing I’ve been sorting through lately is clothes and, boy, is it daunting…

I’m definitely all about a capsule wardrobe but every once in awhile I add in a couple trendy pieces and get tired of them after awhile. Or I notice one of my favorite t shirts is getting worn out and it’s time to say goodbye. But where do we put all of our old clothes? With Earth Day coming up, I want to throw some facts your way and talk about ways we can reduce textile waste by sending our clothes on the right route as they complete their cycle…

I’m not going to talk too much about Goodwill because Goodwill should be a last resort. They reject nothing and its a long process to properly dispose of the consumer’s unwanted clothing. To read more about what happens when clothing is donated to Goodwill, read this post, “Here’s What Goodwill Actually Does With Your Donated Clothes.”

So before you take the easy route and give your clothing to Goodwill…

Here are some other options for trading and selling gently used clothing:

Thrift Stores

Sell or trade to thrift stores! I live in Portland, Oregon and this city is crazy about thrift shops! We have tons! I can easily go into any thrift store and exchange my clothing for other clothes, store credit, and even cash.

The best part about thrift stores is that the buyers are picky.

They will only take gently used items that they think will actually sell. This tells the consumer whether their clothing is actually worth being passed on to another person. This is a big difference between local thrift stores and chains, such as Buffalo Exchange, and Goodwill.

Online Stores

Sell your clothes online! Nowadays we have so many apps to use for selling clothes. These are some of the best ones.

However, that article does not mention Instagram. I follow so many people who sell their clothing via IG stories. It’s cheap, simple, and you get to decide on shipping costs.

Clothing Swaps

And then there are clothing swaps! Get together a big group of friends and arrange a clothing swap in your neighborhood! This is a great chance to finally steal everything you ever wanted from your best friend’s closet! I was showing a friend some clothes I was getting rid of and she was shocked at some of the stuff I was throwing away. It made me happy that someone else could appreciate an item I wasn’t personally attached to.

So what if your clothing was rejected by thrift stores, online stores, and your friends? Time to donate!

So Buffalo Exchange said no, you didn’t get any bids on eBay, and your friends weren’t interested? So what do you do with that cute, gently worn shirt that still has a lot of life in it? Donate it. Pick an organization of your choosing (this is very dependent on where you live) and give it to someone in need. Whether it’s Habitat for Humanity or a homeless shelter, find an organization you trust and give that item to someone who needs it.

But only do this with gently used clothing. It’s easy to dump all your clothing in a donation bin but is all your clothing worth being re-worn by someone else? What about that shirt with the holes in it? Or an old pair of underwear? What about those socks with holes in the toes?

Now it’s time to recycle!

Did you know that in 2013 alone, 12.8 billion tons of textile waste was sent to landfills?

And when it comes to charitable organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army, around 90% of donations end up in recycling facilities.

The fact is, these numbers keep rising, thanks to fast fashion. But, thankfully, more and more organizations are realizing the need for more recycling resources.

Many stores like Levi’s and H&M have recycling bins at various locations. They even offer discounts in exchange for dropping off your old clothing to be recycled. I don’t shop at H&M but I will definitely drop off my clothes if they plan on recycling them… Or check out the local grocery stores and shopping centers. I’ve lived in my neighborhood for a year and I just noticed a clothing recycling bin at my local grocery store.

Last Note: Buy Less

How to save yourself the effort of deciding what to sell, donate, and recycle? Buy less. The fact is, the impact that the fashion industry has on the planet is mostly the consumer’s responsibility. It sounds harsh, but we are all in this together and it’s time to make better decisions while shopping. No one is perfect, I’m definitely not! But by buying less and buying better quality, Spring cleaning wouldn’t be quite as daunting.