Recycling your old clothes is one of the best ways to declutter your home while helping out the planet — and the fast-growing recycling startup Trashie will even pay you to clean out your closet. All you have to do is toss your unwanted items in a return bag, and the rewards are yours.
How does Trashie's Take Back Bag work?
For just $20, you can order a fun, brightly colored Take Back Bag from Trashie and stuff it with unwanted clothes, shoes, towels, sheets, socks, Halloween costumes, and even underwear. Basically, anything goes as long as it's in decent condition.
Kristy Caylor, Trashie's CEO, told The Cool Down that customers can send in "whatever really fits in the bag … as long as it doesn't have extreme biohazard or soil or anything extreme that we can't recycle."
Then, register your bag, print out a prepaid shipping label, and drop it off at any USPS location. From there, Trashie's team at the recycling center will take care of it.
Once the Take Back Bag is registered, you'll instantly receive $30 in TrashieCash that you can use on exclusive rewards such as HelloFresh meals, DoorDash and Uber Eats food delivery credits, discounted movie tickets, planet-friendly Allbirds shoes, and much more.
Since rewards go fast, Trashie recommends checking in often for the most popular deals. However, the company is always adding new rewards, so you're sure to find something that suits your interests.
Why should I participate in recycling programs?
Smart recycling programs such as Trashie's Take Back Bag make getting rid of old stuff easy while putting more money in your pocket. Trashie's recycling system works just like an online return, so you don't have to deal with the hassle of bringing your clothes and textiles to donation centers. Simply slap a label on the bag and let Trashie work its magic on your unwanted items.
Plus, recycling programs do the planet a huge favor by keeping items out of landfills. According to Trashie's website, each Take Back Bag diverts 15 pounds of clothes from landfills, prevents 151 pounds of carbon pollution, and saves nearly 1,600 gallons of fresh water.
Not only do recycling programs save precious resources, but they also help repurpose old items into better things. For example, Trashie says that around 70% of donations are reused globally and the remaining 20% are downcycled into new fibers for products such as pet bedding and insulation.
Since around 85% of all used clothing gets tossed into landfills, recycling programs can go a long way in helping clean up the planet.
Are there similar programs to Trashie's recycling program?
There are actually hundreds of companies that will offer you store credit or even cash when you send in your old stuff. GotSneakers, Lululemon, Patagonia, and Another Tomorrow are just a few examples of companies that will pay you to do the right thing, both for your wallet and the planet.
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