By Olivia Xu, Tanush Siva, Sophie Sun, Anushka Durai, and Kiran Adams • Student Action Committee
Members of the Student Action Committee of the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club recently launched a thrift store at Princeton Farmer’s Market at Hinds Plaza to raise funds for the Club’s Political Action Committee (PAC), in support of Mikie Sherill’s successful bid to become governor of New Jersey.
Our action tells two stories: one of polyester and other nondegradable materials saved from the landfill, and another of students choosing to support a political election.
The funds were raised the sustainable way: through recycling. Friends, families, and neighbors across the state rallied behind us by donating gently worn clothing, spreading word of our mission, and providing a community level market with the potential to thrive. Clothing items were priced from $3–$15, and Princeton community members and beyond excitedly shopped at our thrift shop, turning closets into catalysts for change! Our goal was not only to support a PAC but also to protect the planet.
Why Thrifting?
In recent years, fast fashion—often unsustainable and polluting—has led to large amounts of clothing being discarded. Much of it could have been reused or recycled. The fast-fashion trend has encouraged people to purchase more clothing than is truly needed. This clothing is often cheaply made, worn just a few times, and then thrown away. This cycle harms the environment in ways that may not always be obvious.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018 around 11.3 million tons of clothing, footwear, and linens were sent to landfills in the United States, and about 85% of all textiles were landfilled or incinerated. That’s a lot of waste.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme and allied sources, the fashion and textile industry is one of the world’s largest consumers of water (often cited as second only to agriculture) and is responsible for roughly 8% to 10% of global greenhouse‑gas emissions.
The materials in many of these clothes are also harmful. For example, polyester releases tiny plastic particles when washed. These end up in rivers, oceans, and even the food chain. It is estimated that washing synthetic clothes releases up to 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, roughly equivalent to billions of plastic bottles.
Even donated clothes may end up in landfills. A more effective solution is buying secondhand clothes, known as thrifting. Thrifting lessens the environmental impact and supports local shops and charities that depend on donations. Another option is recycling or upcycling old clothes by turning them into something new instead of discarding them.
If more people bought secondhand items, repaired their clothing, or donated responsibly, less clothing would end up in landfills, and fewer harmful chemicals would pollute the environment.
Places We Can Sustainably Shop
Frequently recommended thrift stores in New Jersey include myUnique, on 2nd Street in Westfield, and Gift To Earth, at 712 Clinton Ave. in South Plainfield. Shoppers also prefer Goodwill for a more classic thrifting experience. It has many locations.
Places to Donate Clothes
Goodwill locations in New Jersey accept clothing donations, and unsold items at their stores are in turn donated to other organizations. Donating to local thrift stores and churches can ensure that donated clothing is distributed to people who live near you. Some other organizations that take clothing donations are Salvation Army and Planet Aid
Global Efforts
Some solutions to textile waste focus on turning discarded clothes into useful new products and materials. Fiber materials are taken from used garments and repurposed into new textiles, cleaning cloths, and construction materials. Mechanical textile recycling has been practiced for over 250 years. This involves physically separating fabrics and fibers for reuse. However, this often results in low-quality materials.
A more recent option is chemical recycling, which breaks down fabric into polymer building materials, although the downsides of this are concerning, such as energy use, emissions, and chemical pollution. There are also biotech solutions being explored at MIT that involve developing proteins to break down the polymers in fabrics so textiles can decompose in as little as two weeks.
Policy-based solutions in the United States, such as California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 (SB 707), are being implemented. This is an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law designed to hold fashion brands accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, including waste management.
New York and Washington also are proposing EPR bills. Moreover, clothing companies such as Patagonia and H&M encourage consumers to trade in used clothes for credit.
What More Can We Do?
Fast fashion is harming our planet, but small, intentional choices are our building blocks for sustainable consumption.
Supporting local thrift stores reduces waste while strengthening our communities. Spreading awareness and educating those around us can also make a large difference. If we make responsible clothing choices, we can mitigate fast fashion’s impact and promote a cleaner, more sustainable future.