It's a shocking statistic: About 85% of used clothing ends up in the trash. But you better believe there's a better way.
It's called Trashie. Trashie is an innovative recycling program that gives you rewards simply for sending in your unwanted clothing. The process couldn't be easier — and the perks are pretty great, too.
How does Trashie's Take Back Bag work?
It's simple. Request a Take Back Bag via the Trashie website, fill it with your unwanted clothing, and send it off to Trashie. When your bag gets to Trashie, the company inspects and sorts the items.
Trashie reports that about 90% of items sent in are successfully diverted from landfills. Around 70% of items received are then reused globally, usually sent overseas to those who rely on used clothing at a low or no cost. According to the company, more than 70% of the world's population wears used clothing, usually out of economic necessity. The other 20% of items accepted by Trashie are recycled into new fibers for things like pet bedding, punching bag filling, industrial rags, and more.
Each Take Back Bag costs $20 upfront to cover shipping costs and processing — but don't let that deter you. You'll get $30 worth of rewards in return — and get rid of all that clutter.
You can redeem your TrashieCash for money off at environmentally-conscious brands like Blueland, Nike, Zero Waste Store, Allbirds, Public Goods, and more. Plus, you can claim free deals from brands like Our Place, DoorDash, Petco, Thrive Market, AMC, and more for just being a Trashie user.
Why should I send my clothes to Trashie?
Every Take Back Bag diverts up to 15 pounds of textile waste from heading to a landfill. That's more than 150 pounds of carbon pollution diverted from our planet per bag — the equivalent of not burning 75 pounds of coal.
Trashie also helps to divert more than just clothing. The recycling program also accepts shoes, sheets, towels, pillowcases, bags, scarfs, and even jewelry. That makes it one of the most comprehensive textile (and more) recycling programs available.
"Any unwanted clothing, accessories, sheets, towels, whatever really fits in the bag," Trashie CEO Kristy Caylor explained in a recent conversation with TCD. "We'll take it as long as it doesn't have extreme biohazard or soil or anything extreme that we can't recycle."
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
🔘 Giving me money back 💰
🔘 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕
🔘 Making it as easy as possible ⚡
🔘 Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Are there similar programs to Trashie?
Trashie isn't alone in trying to divert perfectly good clothing from landfills. Online consignment shop ThredUp also helps give new life to your unwanted clothing. Request one of the brand's shipping envelopes, fill it up, and then ship it out. ThredUp will list qualifying items, and you'll get a portion of the selling price — after a $14.99 processing fee per bag. All unaccepted items are donated or recycled.
Textile recycling company Retold will also send you a bag to pack up and ship out your any-condition textile waste. Once received, the company sorts items to be reused or recycled into fibers. The company charges $15.50 per bag, but doesn't have cash or reward perks like Trashie or ThredUp.
On a more local scale, you can look for consignment or clothing resale shops in your area to make cash from your unwanted items.
Though Trashie gives you rewards rather than cash, the company is a standout among its competitors. Trashie sends your good-quality clothing to those who need it — and still rewards you for the donation. Plus, the ability to donate items no matter their condition and still get rewards is a major perk that is singular to Trashie.
"Such a good idea," one Instagrammer said of the Trashie Take Back Bag.
"This is amazing," another added.
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