Make an Impact by Buying Secondhand

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Over the years, our society has become gradually more and more disposable with our goods and possessions. It seems like we all need the newest, shiniest, latest thing to come on the market, which then leads us to throw out our older still perfectly-good belongings. But, it has become increasingly clear that this type of lifestyle is not sustainable and a change to a more environmentally friendly mindset needs to come about.

Buying items secondhand is a really smart, simple way that you can have an impact on our ecosystem.  The benefits of embracing this philosophy are really two-fold:

1. It’s great for the environment
2. It’s pocketbook friendly

It’s great for the environment

Choosing to buy more of your items secondhand can really have an ecological impact in two ways. First, it will prevent more items from entering landfills, which will save space at our already overcrowded waste disposal sites, and it will help with the prevention of more and more pollutants from damaging our ecosystem. Secondly, the manufacture of new products are a drain on our limited natural resources, and buying secondhand helps keep the production of these products to a minimum.

It’s pocketbook friendly

With the possibility of an economic downturn looming on the horizon, we’re all looking for ways that we can save a little money. Buying secondhand items is the perfect solution because often you get exactly what you were looking for, but at a fraction of the cost! In addition, in some cases the places that you buy your secondhand purchases from donate their profits to charity or back to the community. These donations can help stem the need for federal aid programs, which will again, help you save money on your taxes.

If you aren’t sure where to get started with buying some secondhand items, try researching into where you live. A lot of local communities have stores like:

• thrift stores or charitable drop-off centers
• reuse centers (often for equipment or materials)
• used equipment stores and salvage yards

So, the next time you need to purchase something, do your part for the environment and for your wallet, and buy it secondhand!