Most people receive a basic education on recycling and landfills as early as elementary school, then continue learning about the relationship between waste and greenhouse gas emissions through high school. By college, many become aware of the global social movements regarding climate change.
In a Statista Research Department survey conducted from October 2021 to July 2022, about 63% of Gen Zers said they cared about tracking their environmental impact.
Corporations have been hit with just as much social pressure as individuals — if not more. Millions of companies have committed to implementing more sustainable practices in sourcing, production, packaging, and merchandising on a global scale .
But, it still comes down to something pretty personal. Will you toss your plastic cup into the right bin? Will you dump your broken furniture at a landfill? And, what will you do with that pile of old clothes that has been sitting in the back of your closet for ages?
Trashie wants you to send your old textiles to them and in return, the company will give you cash back to shop at top brands like Cozy Earth, AllBirds and more.
Kristy Caylor is the CEO and brain behind Trashie. Her idea was simple; help people reduce the burden of textiles in their house by setting up a system where they are incentivized to do so.
“Everyone has too much stuff that they struggle to get rid of in an environmentally responsible way, and yet sustainable options are often inconvenient and expensive,” Caylor explained. “Trashie makes it easy, rewarding – and fun – for people to make the sustainable choice.
“It’s a big bag, fill it up with anything from any brand to any condition. Scan a QR Code on the outside of the bag to get a free mailing label and drop it off at the UPS Center and we reward you with Trashiecash,” said Caylor.
According to Caylor, the results are already paying off. “In 2023 alone, Trashie sold 380,000 Take Back Bags, which means we diverted 5.8 million items, totaling 2.9 million lbs, from landfills,” she noted.
The company is quite transparent about this “downcycling process.” Trashie partners with a global network of retailers who buy very specifically graded items — whether that is warm coats going to Eastern Europe or beat-up t-shirts going to field workers in Southeast Asia.
Trashie only officially launched in February, but the impact is already clear. People are buying bags, and then buying them again, and again.
Each bag costs $15 to purchase, but once a customer fills it with textiles and sends it back, they can earn $30 in TrashieCash, which goes towards rewards for clothes, dining, entertainment, sporting goods, wellness, and more. Shoppers receive a free Take Back Bag for every five they order, on top of free shipping.
“I got my first bag, stuffed it full of worn-out t-shirts, printed the shipping label, and dropped it off at the post office. It was so easy, that I ordered two more bags. I used my closet cash to get Zero Waste laundry sheets,” one reviewer shared. “They work great. Everything should be this easy peasy.”
On top of the simple clean-out process, Trashie users are genuinely excited about the opportunity to use their cash to claim some great rewards, whether that is buying new clothes or saving money on a big-ticket item they’ve been waiting to splurge on.
“I was excited to be able to send these clothing items somewhere that I knew would keep them out of a landfill and ensure they weren’t just making Earth’s problems worse. I look forward to being able to use my credits to buy gifts for friends and family members.”
While Trashie is off to a promising start, there is still plenty to be done. According to messaging on the site, the company has a lofty mission, and it will take time to expand its reach.
“Our goal is to become everyone’s default choice for clothing recycling. When we work together at scale, it’s a huge step forward for circularity, igniting the systems change we all want to see in the world.”
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