Reusing old items is a great way to prevent things from being thrown away. By giving items a second life and repurposing them, they can be used once again before becoming waste for good.
Sometimes we want to throw away clothing because it doesn’t fit right. Instead of doing this, visit a tailor or alter your clothing yourself to fit you better so you can wear it. You can find other ways to up-cycle clothing online such as sewing together scraps to make patchwork clothing, dyeing old clothing, and more.
Use newspaper as wrapping paper, do some crafts with saved up corks, use old fabric, ribbon, or other old item as a cat toy, etc. The possibilities are endless for what you can do with the left over things you have in your own home.
Just because you no longer have a need or use for some of the things in your daily life, doesn't mean that they cannot be reused by other people and help them and the environment in the process. By passing on various things that you might normally send to a landfill, you are giving them a second life and keeping waste from impacting the environment.
There are many Goodwill centers around Milwaukee that would love your donations of clothing, furniture, appliances, sports gear, and anything else that could be put to good use by someone else after you are done. They have an amazing employment program and help so many people in Milwaukee as well. Buying from Goodwills is also a great idea because new clothing takes hundreds of gallons of water along with other resources in the manufacturing process. Second hand clothing will end up in the landfill if it is not bought and does not use more resources to be created.
* another variation of goodwill is the Goodwill Bins Outlet store. Items that end up there couldn't be sold at stores for various reasons, and are sent here before being sent to recyclers. Buying from the bins is a key part to preventing clothing from becoming waste. The pro to going to the bins is that they sell by the pound so clothing is generally a lot cheaper. There is one in Sturtevant, WI.
Play It Again Sports has a location in the Milwaukee area and is a great resource for sports equipment. They take donations so if you are getting rid of any equipment, they are a great place to give it to. You can also get good quality second hand equipment for yourself for practically any sport. This can be helpful if you are starting a new sport, need equipment but don't want to buy brand new items, or are looking for items at lower cost - not to mention that buying things second hand is better for the environment too!
ThredUP, Poshmark, and DePop - all three of these websites are places where you can find clothing second hand that people are selling themselves. Buying clothing from these sites is a great way to thrift clothing online and get new clothing without supporting fast fashion or producing new clothing which wastes large quantities of water. Selling clothing on them is super easy too.
Curious about the difference between these? ThredUP has an intense screening process on all of their clothing and sellers send their clothing to ThredUP and then the company is the one who sells the clothing, giving the proceeds to the sellers. Poshmark is sold directly between the seller and the buyer which means less screening, however you can negotiate prices and still get good quality pieces. DePop is more of a vintage store than a thrift store, but is still a good second hand option.
Vintage Stores are another option for buying clothing second hand. You can still get upscale brands but can save money and help the planet at the same time. Two vintage stores in Milwaukee are Swanky Seconds and East Town Resale. They both sell high end used items.
St. Vincent de Paul is another thrift store in Milwaukee, and it sells clothing items more similar to those found in a goodwill, or other donation based thrift store.
Doing some remodeling soon? ReStore by Habitat for Humanity in Milwaukee is a non-profit donation facility that takes building materials, as well as appliances and furniture. It re-sells pieces and uses the donations to help build homes in Milwaukee. While some things may no longer have any use in your own home, they can be still be reused to help families and improve the city.
H.U.N.K.S. is a Milwaukee based junk collection company that collects a lot of items that other junk haulers and facilities won't, and donates over 70% of what they collect. They employ college students and also recycle what they can instead of sending it all to the junkyard.
The Wisconsin Humane society is a great place to consider for donations of used items you might have. They have a phone/technology drop off where you can recycle your old phones and have the proceeds go the the Humane Society. They also accept most pet-related supplies and are very grateful for any donations.
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