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Choosing secondhand items conserves valuable resources in a simple, affordable way and reduces landfill waste.

How to buy used or secondhand items

Whether it’s clothing, furniture, or electronics, choosing secondhand items will save you money, reduce natural resource use, and keep valuable resources out of the junk yard. Get your mental juices working with these secondhand shopping ideas:

• Choose secondhand baby clothes to prevent new resources from being used in the production of new clothes.
• Opt for used furniture to keep these huge pieces out of the dump and reduce the virgin materials needed for your new home decorating plan.
• Go antiquing and salvage a pre-owned door.
• Avoid pollution-, energy-, and resource-intensive new auto production by choosing a used car.
• From grunge to retro, secondhand sweaters and used T-shirts can be a great way to green your wardrobe. And if you're getting married, consider a vintage wedding dress.
• Sort through your granny’s gems and choose vintage jewelry the next time you’re in the market for earrings, necklaces, rings, etc.
• For your next outdoor adventure, choose used camping gear.
• Conserve landfill space, save natural resources, and cut toxic paint disposal by opting for recycled paint.
• Feed your reading habit by swapping books and magazines with other avid readers.

Find it! Secondhand vendors

These days there are many websites that offer a place for you to buy, sell, or trade almost anything—from furniture and clothing to kitchenware and toys. Some, like Freecycle, even provide a place where others give away their used items for free.

Before you buy

Some secondhand items are in good condition, while others have seen better days. Be sure to carefully examine the item before purchase. If buying online, make sure there are good quality photos of the item.

Choosing secondhand items helps you go green because…

• No new resources are used to produce new goods.
• Items are reused rather than ending up in a landfill.
• Since they can often be found in local thrift stores, you’ll be buying locally.

In 2006, over 251 million tons of garbage were produced in the US.[1] Each American resident generates approximately 4.6 pounds of garbage every day; more solid waste than the residents of any other country.[2] Canadians generate the next largest amount of waste, about 3.75 pounds each per day, whereas Germany and Sweden produce less than 2 pounds per day per person, the least of all the industrialized nations.[3]

Choosing secondhand items—no matter what the item—means that no new resources or dangerous chemicals are used to make new products. It also prevents products from ending up in landfills where they can leach chemicals into the ground and water.

Clothes are a good illustration of this process. Many clothes are made in developing countries where environmental regulations are loose or nonexistent. Clothes can be made of petroleum-based synthetics, like nylon or polyester, or wood-based fabrics, like rayon and acetone, that eat up a lot of water and chemicals during the extraction process. By choosing secondhand clothes, no additional resources, chemicals, or pollutants are required to manufacture new items. Clothes and textiles also contribute to landfill waste. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2006, 11.8 million tons of textile waste was generated, accounting for 5 percent of total municipal solid waste generation.[4] Reselling these clothes secondhand keeps that waste out of landfills.

Wooden products—like furniture and toys—are also greener when purchased secondhand, since the virgin production of wooden products contributes to deforestation, which in turn leads to erosion, run-off pollution in waterways, and global warming. Buying wooden products secondhand means that no new trees were cut down to create a new product.

Similarly, plastic furniture, toys, and other household goods are made from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource. The search for and procurement of petroleum has also had major detrimental impacts on the soil, ground water, surface water, and ecosystems of the US and around the world.[5] Petroleum refineries release toxic, hazardous water and air pollutants, such as BTEX compounds and sulfur dioxide.[6]

Related health issues

Chemicals released by petroleum refineries are known or suspected carcinogens, and have been linked to developmental and reproductive problems. Many of these chemicals may also aggravate respiratory conditions, like childhood asthma.

Controversies

Some secondhand stores operate under the name of a charity, but are run by for-profit companies that may not use the full amount of revenues to support the mission of the organization. Get the information you need about a potential secondhand store so that you can make an informed decision by determining whether the outlet is operated by a non-profit or for-profit organization. Goodwill Industries International, Inc. has a checklist to make sure your money goes to a good cause.

Glossary

• BTEX compounds: BTEX stands for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, a group of VOCs that are emitted during oil and gas production. Benzene is a known carcinogen, and may cause blood disorders. Both benzene and toluene may affect the central nervous and reproductive systems. Ethylbenzene and xylene may have respiratory and neurological effects.
• carcinogens: Any substance that causes cancer.

External links

• Learner.org - Garbage
• MSNBC.com - Shop Green for Earth Day
• The Rotten Truth About Garbage
• US Environmental Protection Agency - Municipal Solid Waste