Sustainability States: This is how the US ranks for reusing and recycling efforts
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
The phrase dates back to the 1970s when people first started to recognize the problems caused by waste and pollution.
But the concept seems to really be picking up momentum. Quite rapidly, in fact.
85% of US shoppers bought secondhand in 2022, with 27% of them doing so for the first time, figures reveal.
In 2023, clothing resale grew seven times the rate of the broader retail industry in the United States, according to further reports.
Searches for 'second-hand shops near me' have increased by 190% in America over the last five years too.
So it’s clear that Americans are embracing sustainability: reducing, reusing, and recycling where possible.
At buycycle, we’re delighted, of course. Being founded ourselves on the concept of rehoming items.
And now we’ve found out exactly where in the country is showing the biggest interest in shopping second-hand.
For this, we analyzed the number of thrift stores per state, the percentage of households that recycle each month, the average monthly search volume for 'second hand’, and the search interest for 'pre-owned'.
The Most Sustainable States in the US
Key Findings
- 60% of the top 10 are located in the North of the United States.
- Hawaii is the state where the highest percentage of residents recycle, with almost a quarter (72%) doing so.
- The average percentage of households that recycle across all US states is 58%. Vermont has the lowest percentage of recycling households, at 40%, and Hawaii has the highest.
- California is the state home to the most thrift stores, with an estimated 1753 second-hand stores.
Top Three Most Sustainable States
1. Oregon
Taking the top spot for the states that are embracing second-hand purchasing the most is Oregon. This is perhaps unsurprising considering that the state’s capital, Portland, is often referred to as America's most environmentally-friendly or 'green' city.
Why? Well, it has thousands of cycle trails, efficient public transportation networks, and the highest number of urban parks per capita in the US. Not to mention a penchant for second-hand shopping. As well as ranking first overall, Oregon ranked fifth for the number of thrift stores per capita and eighth for the number of households that recycle, with a third of Oregonians doing so.
2. Rhode Island
Rhode Island took the second position as the most sustainable state. The smallest state by area, Rhode Island scored particularly well for the data points looking at the average number of monthly searches in comparison to its population, scoring 13th for ‘second hand’ and 14th for ‘pre-owned’.
Rhode Island scored slightly higher than Oregon for the percentage of households recycling, with 67% partaking. The state became the first in America to start using the ‘Recycle Across America’ standardized recycling labels in 2016. A spokesperson revealed that Rhode Island is seeing more than a 20% reduction in contamination and the recycling process is now faster and less expensive.
3. Washington
Rounding up the top three is Washington. The state scored particularly well for the average monthly number of searches for ‘second hand’ in comparison to its population size. Its residents scored more than other states of its size, ranking third overall in the study for this!
It was also the state with the ninth-highest number of thrift stores in total, at 590 across its 71,362 square miles. However, Washington dropped to 12th in this metric when the figure was compared to its population as it is the 13th-most populous state in the country. Nevertheless, ‘The Evergreen State’ secured an impressive third position overall.
‘Second-hand’ States
buycycle was founded because we wanted to create a safe and secure way for cycling enthusiasts to buy and sell a used bike.
But, we also wanted to encourage people to buy pre-loved over brand-new purchases, playing our part in making a more sustainable world.
So, when people are thinking about buying second-hand, which states seem the most keen to adopt the sustainable concept?
1. Georgia
Taking the gold medal for the US states most searching for ‘second hand’ items is Georgia. The eighth most populous state in the country, Georgians are certainly looking to get their hands on a reused bargain, with there being around 1,900 searches each month for this from locals.
2. New York
Following Georgia, and missing out just as a result of its population, is New York. The Northern state saw the joint-highest number of Google searches for ‘second hand’ each month, at an average of 2400, but slipped down the rankings as a result of a population that is more than one and a half times bigger than Georgia’s.
3. Washington
Third overall and third also in this ranking is Washington. The state has considerably fewer searches each month than Georgia and New York, with only 590 on average. However, it also has a much lower population than both of these states, meaning it took the bronze medal when it came to looking at the data per capita.
Methodology
For this, we took a list of all the US states and analyzed each for the following: the number of thrift stores per state (divided by population), the percentage of households that recycle each month, the average monthly search volume for 'second hand’ (divided by population), and the search interest for 'pre-owned’ (scores are a fraction of total searches in that region meaning a higher proportion of all queries, not a higher absolute query count).
Data is correct as of October 2024. A full dataset is available upon request.