Ditching Secondhand Stigma

Reading Leonard’s chapter on Disposal got me thinking about the ways in which Oxy students dispose of their plethora of unwanted, dated, and/or broken items throughout the year, and in particular the end of the school year. Leonard explains that we as consumers are constantly throwing out perfectly good items because we don’t want to store them, we don’t know how to fix them, they aren’t cool anymore, etc. I must admit that I have been guilty of such actions, throwing something out at the end of the year because I don’t want to have to deal with mailing it back to Canada, or buying a new set of bedding for my dorm room each year because I didn’t want to have to deal with the old one over summer and such items are easy, and cheap, to replace. I also know that I am certainly not alone. Leonard states, “Waste is defined by where something is, not what it is. It’s about context, not content” (p.183). In other words, the idea of waste does not simply revolve around the actual object, but rather who views it as waste. Therefore, if it is knowledge that my waste could very well be considered something that is new and valuable to someone else, I really think Oxy should consider establishing a secondhand store/exchange where students could drop off items in good, working condition that they no longer want for whatever reason. I imagine the quantity and quality of clothing, books, electronics, furniture, and school supplies that would fill the store would be astonishing, and allow Oxy students to see that “used” and “secondhand” can be cool. Not only would the store prevent the unnecessary disposal of a wealth of valuable items much before they need to be, but it would hopefully teach students about the value of sharing and reusing, something that they could carry for the rest of their lives.