Out with the old and in with the…old: decluttering and thrifting see a resurgence

People of the community are saying out with the old and in with the used as both decluttering and thrifting have become trendier here in Muskoka.

“This spring our donations have increased significantly,” said Alysha Marshall, manager of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Huntsville. “I was down to about 10 drop-offs a day and now we’re up to around 24 a day. Hopefully by summer we will reach around 30 to 50 a day. It isn’t even always just one or two items, people will often drop off [enough to fill] a whole U-Haul truck.”

Marshall said that while the ReStore mainly sells furniture, donations of all types of items have increased including furniture, records/DVDs, and knick knacks. Companies have been donating more items, too.

Many people around the world have been inspired to purge their unwanted or unused items since Netflix released the series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

The show is about Japanese tidying expert, Marie Kondo, who helps people organize both their homes and their lives and get rid of clutter that has gotten out of hand.

The trend has been a boon for many charities who rely on donated items to raise funds (though in some cases the donation piles can get out of hand). But it seems to have had another unintended effect: an increase in people embracing thrifting instead of buying new.

Thrifting is not a new trend. Some people, including myself, have been avid thrifters their whole lives.

When I was little, I would count down the days until I could wake up on Saturdays and hit the yard sales and thrift shop with my mom.

This obsession continued into high school. My friends and I would browse the Salvation Army thrift store at least weekly. Once, after a couple of scans down the aisles, I realized that about 10 to 15 pieces were mine, ones that I hadn’t donated. I immediately called my mom and she said she may or may not have donated an entire garbage bag full of my stuff. I headed to the counter with my huge pile of clothing and explained to the cashier what happened. Unfortunately, she didn’t believe me and after five minutes of arguing I ended up buying the majority of my clothes back.

When I moved to England for university, my love of buying used only got stronger. Not only do they have way more thrift shops (or charity shops, as they call them), but they also have many online apps and websites for buying and selling used clothes.

As thrifting is so addictive and cheaper than buying new, I’ve definitely accumulated more than the average person. It’s easy to buy without thinking—at the mall or shopping online, things are three or four times the price which causes me to think about it first. However, watching purging shows like Marie Kondo’s has inspired me to purge and donate more this year. We held a yard sale this month and I got rid of many things that I normally would have been hesitant to let go of.

Thrifting has another advantage, too. When I lived in England, I started researching fast fashion and the effect it has globally.

In the documentary Stacey Dooley Investigates: Fashion’s Dirty Secrets, journalist Stacey Dooley notes that over 100 billion new garments are produced globally from new fibres every single year. The UN also discovered that greenhouse gas emissions from production of textiles, at 1.2 billion tonnes annually, is more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

While I’ve always loved thrifting, I used to also love browsing the mall for the day. Not anymore. Now I feel guilty if I buy something from a store where clothing is mass-produced, such as Forever 21 or H&M. For the past few years I’ve only allowed myself five items per year from big companies and everything else has to either be used or from a small business. While how you shop is a personal choice, this is my small way of contributing.

Fortunately, thrifting is becoming more popular and fewer people are visiting malls or department stores.

However, thrift shops are not always innocent either.

Do you know where many unwanted items from thrift shops end up? Landfills.

CBC discovered that only 25 per cent of donated clothing is sold. The rest is either shipped to developing countries or ends up in a landfill.

And not everything unwanted in a household is donated. So instead of throwing out those stained t-shirts or bed sheets, you could cut them up and use them as cleaning rags or repurpose them in another way.

As a society, we must slow down our mindless consumerism, be critical and think about what we’re buying. As an avid thrifter, I am always thrilled to hear that my friends or family are making the switch and checking out the thrift store or a yard sale before buying new. If you look hard and take your time, hidden gems can always be found.

Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free newsletter here.