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National Op Shop Week 2017: Here’s how your spring cleaning could change a life

83% of women have clothes in their wardrobe that they have only worn once or twice, and 62% own clothes that have never been worn or still have tags on.

National Op Shop Week 2017 will take place August 31st to September 2nd.

Spring is here from September 1st, and with it that a natural urge to purge your home and wardrobes of all that winter clutter.

Marie Kondo fans are on the edge of their seats ready to ditch all the junk that does not, “spark joy” and stats reveal there’s bound to be a lot of it.

Did you know that Australians purchase over 20kg of new clothing each on average per year?

That’s a lot.

In fact, it’s so much that across Australia 83% of women have clothes in their wardrobe that they have only worn once or twice, and 62% own clothes that have never been worn or still have tags on.

When you’re digging through your wardrobe getting rid of everything you don’t love or regularly wear, spare a thought for those who make sure your unwanted “trash” becomes another person’s treasure, our nation’s Op Shops.

In 2016, Salvos Stores diverted 30,000 tonnes of donated items from landfill.

More and more Australians are turning to Op Shop stores to buy clothes. However, charity op shops still need good quality donations. Making a donation can help op shops from running short of stock.

Marie Kondo fans are on the edge of their seats ready to ditch all the junk that does not, “spark joy” and stats reveal there’s bound to be a lot of it.

Did you know that Australians purchase over 20kg of new clothing each on average per year?

That’s a lot.

In fact, it’s so much that across Australia 83% of women have clothes in their wardrobe that they have only worn once or twice, and 62% own clothes that have never been worn or still have tags on.

When you’re digging through your wardrobe getting rid of everything you don’t love or regularly wear, spare a thought for those who make sure your unwanted “trash” becomes another person’s treasure, our nations Op Shops.

In 2016, Salvos Stores diverted 30,000 tonnes of donated items from landfill.

More and more Australians are turning to Op Shop stores to buy clothes. However, charity op shops still need good quality donations. Making a donation can help op shops from running short of stock.

National Op Shop week is the perfect time to celebrate all the amazing work the stores are doing by upcycling to help others in need and the environment.

General Manager of Salvos Stores Australia Eastern Territory Neville Barrett says, “Australians can make a real difference to their community and the environment by taking part in National Op Shop Week.

“It’s a win-win for people to get involved. You can clear out the closet or your garage of things you no longer require, and at the same time help others in need. We have 350 Salvos Stores in Australia and each one is fundamental to supporting the mission and programs of The Salvation Army.”

To kick off National Op Shop Week 2017, Salvos is offering 50% off everything (excluding new items) on Monday, 28th August in all stores across NSW, QLD and ACT.

In Sydney, Salvos Stores and eco-stylist Faye De Lanty have teamed up with Wardrobe Crisis author Clare Press for a three-day exhibition, concept store and upcycling workshop called Salvos Curated launching on August 31st.

What else is happening?

To make the donation process easier, over 2000 Australian charity op shops have been listed on DoSomething!’s OpShopWeek.com.au website. Sponsored by ALDI, all that people have to do is type in their postcode to find the contact details for their local charity stores.

Charity op shops listed at the site include Vinnies, the Salvos, Red Cross, Lifeline, The Smith Family, the RSPCA, the Animal Welfare League, the Asthma Foundation, Anglicare, MS Australia, Uniting Care, Mission Australia’s Big Heart Op Shops and more!

Simply visit the OpShopWeek.com.au website and type in your postcode or suburb to find out how you can get involved.

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