A Reddit post reveals how a simple purchase at a thrift store turned out to be something much more interesting.
The Redditor picked up the cast-iron cat because "it was $2 and looked neat." Then they found out it was a fancy doorstop made almost a century ago.
"I love thrifting on days like this … Turns out it is a 96-year-old antique [doorstop] made in Boston in 1927 by Greenblatt studios," they posted.
The production of objects made from cast iron and other metallic objects requires a lot of energy, which produces harmful, planet-warming pollutants that contaminate the air we breathe. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 7 million people die each year from respiratory diseases and other ailments caused by air pollution.
Metallic objects also cause extensive amounts of pollution when thrown away, since metals have toxic properties that are destroying the planet.
Then there is all the waste we produce from buying and eventually discarding so much stuff. The U.S. produces about 300 million tons of solid waste each year. Some of this waste gets recycled, which requires energy and also creates air pollution. But a lot of it never gets recycled, which means solid materials can end up in landfills and even in our oceans.
Buying used items is better than purchasing brand-new ones, both for the environment and for our wallets, since secondhand goods are usually cheaper. Plus, this prevents items from ending up in landfills.
Thrift shops are a great place to pick up everything from secondhand furniture to fascinating little objects like the cast-iron cat.
Commenters had a lot to say about the interesting find, from "So cool! Great score!" to "What a great story."
One person considered another potential benefit of the thrift store find. "Hundreds of dollars for these things on ebay!!! Jackpot."
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