When I say recycled clothing I don't mean that it's taken somewhere to be broken down and made into something new like aluminum or plastic is when it's recycled. Recycled clothing can be found and purchased at your local thrift or consignment store. These may not seem like very appealing places to shop for the latest digs, but if you really spend some time looking you could go home with some pretty trendy stuff, not to mention this kind of shopping spree definitely won't break the bank.
So, all of these things sound great, but what does it have to do with sustainability? Well, in short, a lot; when you purchase clothing from a thrift store you are buying something that would have otherwise been thrown out and added to the massive collections of garbage we know as landfills. You are also avoiding mass produced materials that aren't made locally or by fair trade standards. I'll give you an example; say a girl purchases a shirt from Forever 21 because it's stylish and cheap, which is understandable, but she's not thinking about all of the resources that went into the production and shipment of that item of clothing.
A lot of inexpensive clothing companies, that are similar to Forever 21, outsource and take advantage of cheap labor in other countries. This is problematic for many reasons, but the three largest would probably be the pollution created in the production/transportation process, the continuous creation and accumulation of more material "stuff" that eventually turns into waste, and the fact that outsourcing is not supporting the local economy and probably isn't paying workers fair wages. Purchasing clothes at a thrift store is a better solution because it is extremely inexpensive, prevents excess waste and pollution, and supports the local economy. An added bonus to thrifting is that many of the thrift stores are actually non-profits, so by shopping there you are supporting a greater cause, instead of supporting a clothing company that wants to maximize profits, pollutes, etc.
These are all great reasons to shop at thrift or consignment stores, but some people are grossed out by the fact that they don't know where the clothing came from. This anxiety of not purchasing something brand new can be cured after washing the clothes thoroughly, it's no different than washing the clothes that are in your hamper so you can wear them again. Thrift stores do sort through the clothing that is donated and dispose of any articles that are unfit for sale explained Allen, an employee at Re Use which is a local Athens thrift store. From personal experience, I know that whenever I donate clothing to thrift stores my clothing is already clean, and that is the case for most people I know of that donate clothes.
There are other options for purchasing recycled clothing besides thrifting. Some stores and websites that sell recycled clothing are much more picky about the items they sell, such as various vintage and consignment stores, but you'll need to know that those stores' prices may not be as reasonable because people usually sell their clothing to the store instead of donating it. Yet another option is visiting a local clothing swap which is an event where many people bring clothes they don't want and trade with others. You don't necessarily have to bring clothes to trade though, you can just pay a minimal amount of money for any items you want to purchase. Clothing swaps may not happen that often but it's a great idea to look around for them as various organizations put them on from time to time. The Ohio University Office of Sustainability holds a swap during the month of April as one of our Earth Month activities.
Even if you decide that thrifting is not something you want to do, you can always donate or sell old clothing instead of throwing it away. You can even donate furniture, jewelry, appliances, etc. to most thrift stores. Re Use even has a convenient pick up operation so you can call them and they will pick up anything you can't take yourself! It's really important that we understand the many ways we can cut down on waste, and who would've thought it could be such a fashionable concept?
Stay sustainable,
Becca in Athens
There are many local thrift stores you can check out in our area, here are a few...
Re Use Thrift Store
100 Columbus Road
Athens Underground
90 N. Court Street
(740) 592-6286
New-To-You
90 Columbus Road
(740) 592-1842
Goodwill Industries
743 E. State Street
(740) 592-4105
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