The way we buy clothing—the cycle of make, buy, dispose and repeat—is harming our planet. This cycle is called fast fashion, and it means more resources are used and more items end up in the landfill. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Let’s work together to make facts like these a thing of the past.
Three out of five fast fashion items end up in the landfill.
It can take up to 200 years for clothing to decompose.
It takes 713 gallons of water to make a single cotton t-shirt.
Find the MCC Thrift shop nearest you!
It takes both organizations like us and people like you to reduce waste with an eventual goal of getting to zero waste.
What we’re doing
The very nature of thrifting means that pre-worn items that people might otherwise throw out are given a second chance, which is a great start!
Some donated clothing does arrive damaged and can’t be resold. Our creative volunteers have many strategies to deal with this issue like
- cutting clothing into fabric squares for quilting
- making rugs out of damaged clothing
- upcycling donated items into something new that can be sold
- selling hard-to-sell clothing in bulk as rags or materials for other projects
But we can’t solve the problem of waste on our own. Even if we extend the life of many items, they will eventually wear out. Getting to zero waste is a long-term commitment that requires effort at all points in the process. That’s where you come in.
What you can do
By shopping at MCC Thrift, you’re already reducing the resources needed to produce new clothing and diverting items from the landfill. Thank you!
If you want to make this a habit, you can take the Thrift First pledge here. To encourage you, we’re giving away eight MCC Thrift gift cards and some other fun freebies.
If you do purchase new clothing, think thrift first. Look for items that are built to last. Treat them well and repair them as needed. Then when it comes time to donate them to your local MCC Thrift shop, the items have a better chance of finding a new life.