Decluttering your closet can seem daunting, but you can turn your old sweaters and pants into rewards thanks to a new recycling program.
Trashie's Take Back bag lets you send in your old clothes and earn exclusive rewards, turning a chore into an opportunity while you help the environment.
How does Trashie's Take Back Bag work?
Trashie's Take Back Bag program is easier than deciding what stays and what goes in your closet. Just visit their website and order one of their brightly colored bags for $20, and when you get it at home, load it up with clothes, bags, shoes, and other accessories.
Once you've filled a bag (a bag can hold up to 15 pounds), you can ship it back to Trashie for free using a QR code to get a USPS shipping label.
Each bag you send in can earn you the equivalent of $30 in rewards on everything from restaurants to meal delivery services to different stores and movie theaters.
Travel influencer Adriana Kucia (@travelwithherstyle) did a demo of the program on her Instagram page. "I struggle to give up clothes when they're past their prime," she wrote in the caption for her demo video. "I hate the waste and I try to use things until the wheels fall off! But thankfully Trashie makes recycling so much easier."
"I need this in my life," one person wrote in the comments, with others adding they're ready to try the program and "need" to do it.
"Great way to end the year. Cleaning out the closet," another person said.
Why should I use the Trashie Take Back Bag?
Apart from the fabulous rewards, using a recycling program like Trashie's Take Back Bag is a great way to help the environment with a small everyday task.
🗣️ 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
Earth.org noted that 11.3 million tons of textile waste is sent to United States landfills annually, or 81.5 pounds per person. The trash can take hundreds of years to decompose (depending on the material) and will release polluting gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, that worsen climate change. They can also leach chemicals into the soil and groundwater, impacting ecosystems.
According to Trashie, every Take Back Bag diverts up to 15 pounds of textile waste from heading to a landfill, making sure about 90% of all donations are either reused or recycled.
Are there similar programs to Trashie's Take Back Bag?
More programs are popping up to recycle clothing and other products and save them from landfills.
ThredUp, the online consignment and thrift store, has a similar program that allows you to send in gently used clothes to earn cash or store credit, and Poshmark has similar offers available.
Apart from clothes, brands have programs to recycle old products for new ones. Hydro Flask, for example, has a trade-in program that offers a $5 credit on your next reusable bottle from the company when you send in your old one.
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