Be Creative With Your Clothing

While some may tend to rely on donation bins, it's important to realize that all that clothing often times doesn't;t get used. Get the most out of your clothes with these tips!

Ever heard the phrase "use what you have"? If you have known about the sustainable movement for a while you probably have. When you use what you have you promote a more circular economy-- meaning nothing goes to waste. When using what you have there are no new resources needed to create said thing you were looking for: no energy, water, or material!

What I love to do with my closet is every month I’ll try and go through what I am and am not wearing to get a sense of what my style looks like. It's almost like a closet audit to see what I really enjoy wearing and what I gravitate towards in my daily routine. But when going through my closet, there are usually a handful of items that don't fit me right or don't make me feel confident. Me pre-sustainable journey would probably just donate these clothes, but donating isn't the answer to not wasting garments?

Only 20% of what gets donated actually gets sold and put to good use

I don't want to discount donating whatsoever, but the point I am trying to make is that relying on our donation systems to get rid of our unwanted goods will only overload them and wreak havoc on a really cool way to support a circular economy.

Here are a few of my personal guidelines for when to actually donate something...

• it's not stained, doesn't have holes, and is in decent condition

• it was an item requested for by my local donation center

• I would buy it if I saw it on the shelves and was in need!

What to do if your items don't make the cut? Be creative!

- make produce bags/reusable bags (even if you don’t know how to sew)

- use them as old rags or a reusable swiffer pad

- lonely socks can be made into a heating pad

- reusable napkins

- dog toys (maybe create a few and donate it to a local shelter!!)

-  book mark!

- beanie

- leg warmers

-  plant hangers

The donation bins aren't your landfill! Treat your local facilities with respect and donate what actually is worth purchasing. If not... get into your creative mode.