Thrifting or second-hand shopping is a great way to reduce the waste produced by the fashion industry as well as change up your wardrobe. College campus thrifting programs are stepping in to help divert items like clothing out of landfills.
Programs at colleges like the University of Miami, University of California Berkeley, Northwestern University and many others focus on sustainability among students. While ReUse at the University of California Berkeley does charge up to $3 for certain items, UThrift at the University of Miami allows each student to take one item at each pop-up event free of charge and an additional item per donation.
While some campus thrift stores focus more on clothes, many also accept and keep items like school supplies and dorm supplies out of landfills. At the end of the semester during Northwestern’s SustainNU Take It or Leave It program they were able to keep 8,000 pounds of items, including clothing, from going to waste.
Many of these on-campus thrift programs will also donate items that are still in good condition to other thrift stores that they aren’t able to take. To raise further awareness of the good of thrifting, programs like UThrift have held fashion shows showcasing second-hand outfits.
These collegiate programs are successful in getting students involved in making donations as well as offering them low-cost items for sale on campus, all while achieving their main goals, keeping clothes and other items out of landfills.
For more information on your college’s programs and opportunities to get involved check out campus sustainability clubs. Many of these college campus thrifting programs are looking for volunteers and if your college campus doesn’t have a second-hand program, look into Post Landfill’s Thrift Store Management Guide to start one of your own!
by Brielle Racanelli | January 24, 2021