BRUNSWICK, Maine — Are you tired of paying full price for name-brand items? Do you have a closet full of winter clothing you never wear?
The Environmental Protection Agency said that 85 percent of clothes sold in the U.S. will likely end up in a landfill or burned, with the average American throwing away about 81 pounds of clothing a year.
Much of that is winter gear, which the recommerce industry is buying a lot of and reselling before it ends up in the waste stream.
Jenna Vanni the owner of Woods + Waters Gear Exchange said for her consignment business, if you've got five or more items to get rid of, you'll need to make an appointment.
"We have been turning people away, we just can't get caught up even with extra employees. It's impossible with the amount of stuff people have been bringing in," Vanni said.
Owner Emily Kirkton of another local secondhand store, GearME, said people are less inclined to buy high-priced and brand-new items, but they still need to stay warm.
"People still need warm clothing and still need gear to go outdoors, especially during COVID-19 when everyone wanted to be outdoors," Kirkton said.
The pandemic pushed people to shop locally. As a result, many nationally-known brands had to start secondhand programs of their own. Stio launched its program in 2021.
"We started with the main goal of giving our clothes as long a life span as possible and keeping our clothing out of landfills as long as we can," Sarah Niklas, Stio's PR and communications manager, said.
By buying secondhand, you can lessen the environmental impact of clothing waste.
Stio launched their program with 280 items in inventory and sold out in the first week, seeing a huge demand in the market.
"In the past year, we have been able to redirect over 2000 items through the program," Niklas said.
As for the EPA, it said keeping useful gear out of landfills is a priority.