Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog. I am raising awareness of the environmental benefits of reuse. In particular, how charity shops benefit from donations and how you can save money from buying from them. There are three aspects to being more environmentally friendly, these are to reduce, reuse and recycle. Giving to charity shops is a form of reuse, and this is why you should give:
• Charity shops generate funds for charity by selling on unwanted items – i.e. providing a reuse opportunity for them.
• UK charity shops' reuse activity alone helps reduce CO2 emissions by about 2.5 million tonnes per year
• Charity shops are providing a second life for an increasing range of items, including books, CDs, DVDs, videos, toys, furniture and electrical items.
• More important items could be made with the materials that would otherwise be used.
• It reduces the amount of pollutants that would be required to make a new item or recycle old material.
• Fewer resources, less energy, less effort.
The story of shoes...
• The shoes are made in a factory, creating 2.49kg of carbon emissions per pair.
• They are flown into the country then put on a lorry to storage until the shop needs them this produces about 2.5kg per mile.
• The shoes are bought by you and taken home.
• You wear the shoes everywhere for a year.
• The shoes get too small.
You have a choice:
1. Throw them away and they will go to landfill for the next 25-40 years before they decompose.
OR
2. You could give them to a local charity shop so someone else can wear them as much as you did, saving all the energy to make new shoes by reusing old ones.
As a nation, we throw away about 1,500,000 tonnes a year of clothes of which the textiles industry handles about 300,000 tonnes. There are therefore over 1,000,000 tonnes going to landfill sites.
So if you have some clutter at the back of your wardrobe, why not clear it out rather than it gathering dust? Have some old toys that are no use to you anymore? Give them to someone who can benefit from them as much as you did.
Thank you again for reading my blog. Please now post a response with your thoughts; you could also maybe answer a few of these questions to help me with my research.
• Do you support, oppose or are you undecided about charity shops?
• Had you thought about the benefits of reuse before reading this blog?
• How often do you shop at charity shops, why? If not, why?
• Have I changed your opinion of charity shops?
Deborah
me personally i wouldnt shop at a charity shop, but that doesnt mean to say that i wouldnt/dont donate anything to them.
ReplyDeletei agree strongly with what you are saying i think it was a very good subject to talk about.
sometimes charity shop things are in great condition but i wouldnt buy a lot of clothes. I would definitley donate to charity as it helps people who are not as fortunate as us and it is a way of recycling ! what a fantastic idea!!
ReplyDeleteI support charity shops because I think they are very good for people who have no money. When I donate my old clothes I know someone will be thankful for them. I dont often shop at charity shops but I still think they are as great hting to have.
ReplyDeleteyou can get great bargains at charity shops, luis vuitton belts and bags for a hundreth of the price, i always donate old unwanted clothes to charity shops and even though i am not poor still have a shop around
ReplyDeleteI personally love charity shopping, one mans trash is another mans treasure!
ReplyDeletei wouldnt normally shop in charity shops but i know many who do. Some of my friends feel embarrassed in them but i dont see why! its just a normal shop but the money goes to a good cause
ReplyDeletei support charity shops but i prefer the shops that aren't that fussy. whenever i donate things to most charity shops a lot of my things (which are in very good condition) get rejected. If they weren't so fussy i'd have given a lot more!
ReplyDeleteI wouldnt shop at a charity shop myself but i might donate to them. I havent shopped at a charity shop before but i will donate old stuff to them.
ReplyDeleteI would not buy from a charity shop personally but i think that a are a good cause for raising awarness and funds for a charity, very good points and oppinions great subject.
ReplyDeletepersonally i dont buy stuff in charity shops becausei dont liek the fact that someone else that in dunno would of worn or done whatever with that stuff
ReplyDeletebut i would donate
You'd be suprised what bargains you can find in charity shops; many shops are now well laid out and they only sell clothes that are presentable. Expensive items like jackets are good buys and can always be dry-cleaned. Just go in next time you're shopping and look around, you might find just the thing you're looking for!
ReplyDeletei agree with you and i think that more people should become aware of this issue
ReplyDeleteWhen i have a clear out I mostly give it to charity shop as helps other people. I sometimes buy books from the charity shop as the money goes and helps someone but I have to admit I never buy much but i think i will shop there more.
ReplyDeleteI think charity shops are good because you can always find good bargins in them. You never know what you could find. They also help a lot of people who have less money than others because they might not have enough money to buy clothes or cd's at the original shops that they came from.
ReplyDeleteI personally love charity shopping!!!
ReplyDeleteI think charity shops are excellent! you can get brillant bargains, great clothes and a good feeling inside as you know that the top you just bought is going to help people for all different reasons. I think it is silly that people don't shop in charity shops. as you could just pop them in the wash and voila! you have a 'good as new' t-shirt at a fraction of the price than in the original shop!
ReplyDeletei often shop at charity shops and i give nearly all my things that i don't need anymore to charity shops as I know that other people might want it more than me, and at the end of the day, it all goes to charity, so it is DEFINITELY worth it :)
Your blog has definatley informed me more about the amount of clothes we get rid of as a country every year! I think charity shops are good and you have reinforced my thoughts, though i usually don't shop at them; I do sometimes donate my old clothes! I always thought about someone else having my clothes as a good thing so someone else can have the benefit of them but have not really thought about the landfill! so you have definately informed me a lot more!
ReplyDelete1. support
ReplyDelete2. I had, but you've highlighted new points I hadn't thought about before.
3. We give stuff a lot, but don't often buy stuff.
4. I already thought they were good.
Hi Deborah
ReplyDeleteYour Blog has definatly infomed me more about charity shops and I will try to shop in them more.
Well done
X
No I Dont Like Charity Shops
ReplyDeleteNot Really
I Would Never Shop At Charity Shops Because There Full Of Old People And Strange People
No
I agree with charity shops becauuse 1. they are cheaper than buying clothes and other items first hand and 2.the money which is spent there goes to a good cause, benifitting other people. You can pick up some really good bargins in charity shops and not all the clothes are for old people, there are clothes for young people as well which are surprisingly in fashion. Even if you don't like the clothes there, you can still look at the DVDs, books and CDs which have been donated.
ReplyDeleteVery thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI love charity shops! Many of the books I own come from these shops.
They are a good place to get cheap clothes - it's surprising what you can find - especially in more upmarket areas.
I frequently take unwanted items in for resale.
They are a win-win solution for de-cluttering your home!