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Although Earth Day is important, the Rhode Island community needs to continue making decisions to help the environment throughout the year. When you donate the items you are no longer using or wearing at your local Providence, East Providence, Warwick, or Fall River Savers store instead of tossing them in the garbage, you’re keeping items out of landfills, giving them a second life and supporting a non-profit in your Rhode Island community such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Spring Cleaning Tips:
- Bring in support. It is often helpful to have someone with an objective opinion standing by as you sort through items. This allows you to separate your emotional attachment to items and determine a more practical approach.
- Stay on task. Some experts have recommended starting in one corner of the room and working your way around the room in a circle. Also, don’t move on to the next room until you are finished with the first.
- Create a “keeping versus saving” rule. Be realistic about what makes sense to keep and what doesn’t. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in more than six months, or since you last cleaned out your closet, it’s ready to go.
- Now what? When your donation bin is full, use Savers’ Nonprofit Locator Tool to find a nearby Community Donation Center where you can drop off your goods
State of Reuse Report Statistics:
- 54% of Northern Americans threw away unwanted clothing or household goods in 2016.
- Of those who threw away rather than donating, 62% didn’t believe a donation center would accept them and 19% did not know what to do with them.
- There are misperceptions with: 3 in 4 people believing you can’t donate torn or soiled clothing and 7 in 10 people believing you can’t donate a sock with a hole in it. In fact, you can help the earth by donating those items instead of throwing them out!
- 79% of Americans and 76% of Canadians want their used goods donations to benefit their community, compared to 21% and 24%, respectively, that want their used goods donations to benefit the environment.
