More About The Best Thing You Can Do Is Not Buy More Stuff,' Says 'Secondhand' Expert
Author Adam Minter remembers two periods of grief after his mother died in 2015: the intense sadness of her death, followed by the challenge of sorting through what he calls "the material legacy of her life."
Over the course of a year, Minter and his sister worked through their mother's possessions until only her beloved china was left. Neither one of them wanted to take the china — but neither could bear to throw it out. Instead, they decided to donate it.
Waiting in the donation line at Goodwill, Minter began wondering what would happen to the dishes: "It occurred to me this is a very interesting subject," he says. "Nobody really knew what happened beyond the donation door at Goodwill."
Minter had spent nearly two decades reporting on the waste and recycling industries. Now he began looking into the market for secondhand goods, both domestically and in Africa and Asia.
"Your average thrift store in the United States only sells about one-third of the stuff that ends up on its shelves," he says. "The rest of the stuff ends up somewhere else."
Minter visited Goodwill donation centers in the U.S. and watched as employees engaged in a sophisticated sorting and pricing system. He noted that while designer clothes might be set aside as "boutique" items, other products — including heavy wooden furniture and outdated exercise equipment — were often destined for the dump.
"A 300-pound oak dining room table ... becomes a problem," he says. "You will see some of this very nice oak furniture, if it can't be sold, it will end up in the landfill."
Minter's new book, Secondhand, explores the afterlife of donated clothes and electronics. His previous book, Junkyard Planet, was about the recycling industry.
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Over the course of a year, Minter and his sister worked through their mother's possessions until only her beloved china was left. Neither one of them wanted to take the china — but neither could bear to throw it out. Instead, they decided to donate it.
Waiting in the donation line at Goodwill, Minter began wondering what would happen to the dishes: "It occurred to me this is a very interesting subject," he says. "Nobody really knew what happened beyond the donation door at Goodwill."
Minter had spent nearly two decades reporting on the waste and recycling industries. Now he began looking into the market for secondhand goods, both domestically and in Africa and Asia.
"Your average thrift store in the United States only sells about one-third of the stuff that ends up on its shelves," he says. "The rest of the stuff ends up somewhere else."
Minter visited Goodwill donation centers in the U.S. and watched as employees engaged in a sophisticated sorting and pricing system. He noted that while designer clothes might be set aside as "boutique" items, other products — including heavy wooden furniture and outdated exercise equipment — were often destined for the dump.
"A 300-pound oak dining room table ... becomes a problem," he says. "You will see some of this very nice oak furniture, if it can't be sold, it will end up in the landfill."
Minter's new book, Secondhand, explores the afterlife of donated clothes and electronics. His previous book, Junkyard Planet, was about the recycling industry.
Click for Details
Date & Time
April 21, 2024
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Your Home, Again
Fairfield County, CT, US
Fairfield, CT
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More About Your Home, Again
Does finding things take longer than you want?
Do you have stuff laying around taking up space?
Do you have trouble navigating through a room?
Do you hesitate to have friends and family visit because your home doesn’t look like you’d like it to?
Then it’s time to De-Clutter and Organize!
You decide what area of the house you would like to tackle. The job can be as simple as organizing a hall closet or as complex as a whole house.
I work with you to go through all the items, make decisions about each one then place that item in the appropriate pile. What to keep, sell, donate, give away or throw away.
After all the items have been sorted each pile is taken to the assigned destination. Trash goes out, donations are taken to chosen location, and items to giveaway are taken to that person. If there are items that can be sold they are taken to the dealer.
The items you choose to keep are then returned to the space in an organized fashion. This may require purchasing appropriate containers, closet systems or furniture. Usually there is so much room my clients are thrilled and promise not to fill it up again.
Along with clearing out unwanted items from your home I give you systems for dealing with the normal daily things that tend to get stuck along the way. How to deal with all the kids’ paraphernalia when they come home from school, the mail, books, clothes, etc. With these tools you can maintain a clean clutter-free home.
So, if it is time to lighten your load, clear out the garage or take back the guest room give me a call.
Right Sizing
Right Sizing can mean moving to a smaller home, moving to a larger home to accommodate family members or de-cluttering your current home. Give us a call to see how we can help.
Aging In Place
For those independent individuals who don't require a transition from their current home to a managed care or adult community, Aging in Place services are the perfect solution.
Planning and preparing your home in advance is the smart thing to do. Your Home, Again will work with you to assess, plan and manage the changes to your living space that may be needed to allow you to stay in your home whatever your health or life changes, without compromising the style of your home or the details you enjoy.
Simple steps now can help prepare your home for safe and secure enjoyment for years to come and provide you with peace of mind.
Our services include:
Floor and space planning to determine the possibility of one-floor living, and a safety assessment for handrails and grab bars where necessary.
Structural assessment of the home including wheelchair accessibility inside and out, flooring material changes, construction of ramps, elevators and stairway preparation for chair lifts.
Kitchen and bath remodeling including lighting and plumbing changes, countertop and appliance modifications and showers that accommodate wheelchair access.
Organizing and discarding plan for assessing all closets and storage spaces to determine what is kept, gifted, sold, donated or discarded, and making all arrangements as necessary.
Do you have stuff laying around taking up space?
Do you have trouble navigating through a room?
Do you hesitate to have friends and family visit because your home doesn’t look like you’d like it to?
Then it’s time to De-Clutter and Organize!
You decide what area of the house you would like to tackle. The job can be as simple as organizing a hall closet or as complex as a whole house.
I work with you to go through all the items, make decisions about each one then place that item in the appropriate pile. What to keep, sell, donate, give away or throw away.
After all the items have been sorted each pile is taken to the assigned destination. Trash goes out, donations are taken to chosen location, and items to giveaway are taken to that person. If there are items that can be sold they are taken to the dealer.
The items you choose to keep are then returned to the space in an organized fashion. This may require purchasing appropriate containers, closet systems or furniture. Usually there is so much room my clients are thrilled and promise not to fill it up again.
Along with clearing out unwanted items from your home I give you systems for dealing with the normal daily things that tend to get stuck along the way. How to deal with all the kids’ paraphernalia when they come home from school, the mail, books, clothes, etc. With these tools you can maintain a clean clutter-free home.
So, if it is time to lighten your load, clear out the garage or take back the guest room give me a call.
Right Sizing
Right Sizing can mean moving to a smaller home, moving to a larger home to accommodate family members or de-cluttering your current home. Give us a call to see how we can help.
Aging In Place
For those independent individuals who don't require a transition from their current home to a managed care or adult community, Aging in Place services are the perfect solution.
Planning and preparing your home in advance is the smart thing to do. Your Home, Again will work with you to assess, plan and manage the changes to your living space that may be needed to allow you to stay in your home whatever your health or life changes, without compromising the style of your home or the details you enjoy.
Simple steps now can help prepare your home for safe and secure enjoyment for years to come and provide you with peace of mind.
Our services include:
Floor and space planning to determine the possibility of one-floor living, and a safety assessment for handrails and grab bars where necessary.
Structural assessment of the home including wheelchair accessibility inside and out, flooring material changes, construction of ramps, elevators and stairway preparation for chair lifts.
Kitchen and bath remodeling including lighting and plumbing changes, countertop and appliance modifications and showers that accommodate wheelchair access.
Organizing and discarding plan for assessing all closets and storage spaces to determine what is kept, gifted, sold, donated or discarded, and making all arrangements as necessary.
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