Spring is finally here which means most of us will start doing a little spring cleaning. About now you might be thinking about raiding your closet and perhaps getting rid of a few items that are so last season, right? Unfortunately, unwanted clothes, shoes, and accessories end up going from closet-to-landfill each year where they still for many decades.
The good news is there are alternatives to dumping your unwanted items in the trash bin.
Give New Life to Older Pieces with Alterations
While you’re putting away winter clothes and dusting off your spring and summer wardrobe take a look at some of the items you no longer love. Is the style so last season? Instead of tossing it aside, why not take it to the tailor to be altered? You can turn a pair of pants or capris into shorts for about $20 or a shirt into a tank top for about $15. These alterations cost less than buying a new item while still giving new life to your wardrobe.
Are some items in your closet just too worn to be repurposed? No problem, those fabrics would work as wonderful surface wipes along with a bit of disinfectant for your door handles, countertops, shelves, toilet seats, and other germ and dirt-prone areas in your house.
Recycle, Thrift, or Donate Unwanted Sneakers
The manufacturing process for just one pair of sneakers generates about 30 pounds of CO2 emissions. Unfortunately, this means your shoes have a heavy carbon footprint before they even reach your home. If you toss those sneakers in the trash they will take up to 40 years to decompose in the landfill.
Materials and pigments used in the manufacturing of sneakers take a long time to break down in the environment (about 40 years). What’s worse is that most of the time they are incinerated at the landfill to make room, which releases toxic chemicals into the air and ground.
The good news is that 100% of sneakers can be recycled!
At GotSneakers, we have recycled and repurposed over 2.5 million pairs of sneakers (and counting!). When cleaning out your closet this season, request your FREE Clean Out Kit to send your sneakers to us and we will pay you for each pair that comes in. Learn more today!