Disposal Choices

When I think about all the processes involved in making a new product, all the energy and resources needed to get a product from a raw material into the hands of a consumer, I am baffled to think that anyone could just throw away a perfectly good product.

As a marketing major at university, I learned about the product life cycle and the disposal choices once a product no longer provides satisfaction to a consumer.  It's what marketers refer to as end-of-life.  What does a consumer do with a product once it has reached the end of it's useful life (from the original consumer's perspective)?

A consumer has several choices (and please feel free to comment on any that I have missed) after they have bought a product. For example, a t-shirt I bought 10 years ago has seen better days and I am contemplating what I should do with it.  I could:

1. Keep it.  The t-shirt is comfortable and still fits and I still wear it.
1. Store it.  The t-shirt is seasonal and I still wear it. 
2. Re-purpose. The t-shirt could be used as a smock for Eli's when she paints, it could be cut up and used for rags, I could make it into a tank top or purse.
2. Give it away. 
1. Give to a friend or family.  The t-shirt is too small/ too big but still looks good so I could give it to my sister/ niece/ friend.
2. Donate (charity, for-profit, school) it. The shirt is still good but I'd rather get rid of it.  I'm sure someone would like it but I don't have any friends or family that would wear it.
3. Sell it.  The t-shirt is trendy and I bet someone would buy it for $5.
1. Online.  Post it on kijiji/ craigslist/ facebook/ tnrdreuses
2. On consignment.  Shabby Shack/ Mint Condition Boutique
3. Classified Ads.  I could post a classified ad in the local paper or the regional Buy and Sell
4. At a garage sale. We have lots of stuff we don't use anymore.  I think we could make a few hundred dollars by having a garage sale, I could try to sell it then.
4. Dispose of it. 
1. Recycle it. Okay, there aren't too many options to recycle textiles in BC (that I am aware of anyways).  But if you donate your old clothing to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, then chances are if the clothing is not in good enough condition to sell, it will find it's way to a textiles recycler.
2. Landfill it.  The t-shirt is not suitable to be worn anymore - there are holes everywhere and it's made of synthetic fibres that aren't suitable for rags. Sadly it is time to put the shirt in it's final resting place at Mission Flats landfill.

I have used a t-shirt as an example here but the choices apply to any product.  With so many choices available to a consumer, I wonder why so much stuff that is in good condition still finds its way to the landfill?  Are people just not aware of the choices?  Is throwing stuff in the garbage the easiest choice? Do people think that if they don't want the product that nobody else would either? 

I understand that many of the disposal choices require some effort on the part of the consumer and that when there is effort involved, people choose the path of least resistance (the garbage can). So here is my advise to everyone:

Put a basket somewhere in the house labeled "Thrift Store".  Anytime you are ready to get rid of a product in your home that is still in working condition, put it in the basket.  When the basket is full you can either call a thrift store to come and pick it up, or you can put it in the car and drop it off on your way to work/ to the gym/ to the doctor/ etc.  There are lots of thrift stores in town and I have never been turned away when trying to donate used items. Many second hand stores like Big Brother and Sisters and Penny Pinchers offer a pick-up service.