The sudden urge to do a general clean-up around the house or declutter a room that’s been wrapped up in ‘do not enter’ barricade tape—not to mention tidying up a hoarder’s dwelling—often results in discovering items that are no longer of use.
And while their existence might have been unknown before, that doesn’t mean they should go straight into the trash (depending on their state, of course). Selling them on one of the many marketplaces online or in a yard sale can be great alternatives, benefiting the seller, the buyer, and the environment, too.
“When one sells a vintage item, they are clearing out some of the clutter from their home, which is often very emotionally satisfying; holding onto unwanted or undesirable items can cause someone to feel stuck,” the founder of The Institute For Behavior Therapy and an avid collector of vintage items himself, Barry Lubetkin Ph.D., told Bored Panda.
“On the other hand, purchasing a vintage item can also be very satisfying. Particularly if it reminds the buyer of something long lost or something that was once seen and desired, but never purchased.”
“Vintage items bring the past into the present as reminders of how stale and unattractive new cookie cutter items can appear when compared with old weathered vintage items, which add zest and excitement to any decor in one's home,” Dr. Lubetkin pointed out.
According to him, it can be difficult to find true gems in antique shops or flea markets, but the sense of satisfaction and excitement that comes with finding something terrific makes the long wait and impatience well worth it. “Finding that gem leads to a sense of great pride that others have missed and you have found something either aesthetically or monetarily priceless.”
Giving an item a second chance in life is an excellent decision on many levels, as it allows the owner to get rid of things that are no longer serving any purpose, other than occupying space, in an environmentally and wallet-friendly way.
The reason it’s important not to rush to throw things away is because of the mind-boggling number of tons people dump on the planet each year; according to The World Counts, it stands at around 2.12 billion tons annually. (Depending on where a person is from, they tend to generate up to 845 kilograms of municipal solid waste each year.)
A Swedish study on how buying and selling second-hand objects affects the environment found that by reusing objects, people can significantly reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. After examining data from five major marketplaces located in Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and Norway, researchers revealed that users contributed to saving 12.5 million tonnes of CO2 in one year as they didn’t buy new goods nor did they have to throw away the old ones.
While overflowing dumpsters are clearly a serious issue nowadays, it’s important to remember that it’s not only throwing a perfectly fine item away that adds to the bigger problem. Buying a new one is arguably quite detrimental to the environment, too, as production of that item requires materials and energy and involves generating CO2 and production waste.
But the production process is only stage three of the item’s life cycle. While we might not think about it when we buy something, the journey of how that something got into our hands is a rather lengthy one.
National Geographic delved deeper into the key stages of a product’s life cycle and the environmental impact, pointing out that it starts with raw materials (stage 1), which then have to be processed (stage 2). What follows is manufacturing the actual product (stage 3) and distributing it (stage 4), using it (stage 5), and disposing of it (stage 6).
While recycling, for instance, is a significant step toward being more environmentally-friendly, it covers only one part of the item’s entire life cycle, which is why buying things second-hand can be a great alternative to encouraging the production of even more of them.