Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe save lives and landfill with thrift store

TRUCKEE, Calif. - The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (HSTT) has been in the business of saving lives for 30 years and now has entered the business of saving landfills, too. HSTT opened Thrifty Tails Boutique Thrift Store in August of 2023 with two thoughts in mind, generate income to help pets in need and keep more of the community’s second-hand items out of the landfill. Not only does HSTT give pets a second chance at life, but now clothing, home goods, shoes, and more also get a second chance.

Thrifty Tails prides itself on its broad selection of gently worn and used items. However, not all items they receive are re-sellable. Those non-sellable items can accumulate quickly, and with keeping second-hand goods out of the landfill as one of Thrifty Tails' priorities, the team got to work looking for alternative ways to recycle those items.

Here’s what Thrifty Tails Boutique has done to minimize landfill waste, keep really great items on the sales floor, and keep dump costs at bay.

- Anything that is wearable with minor wear/stains goes on the Thrifty Tails dollar rack – it’s chock full of still wearable items and, in most cases, can be fixed.
- Thrifty Tails does not resell used socks, so whenever they, or any other type of warm clothing that cannot be sold in the store, are received, they are re-donated to the warming center in Truckee to help our community members in need of these items.
- Any heavily damaged items (clothing, shoes, handbags, belts, linens, etc.) enter our recycling program with Eco World Trading Company. Once each week, Eco World collects unsellable items from our store and works to repurpose them through their recycling programs, so absolutely nothing goes to waste!
- When items are better suited for a different resale model, they are re-donated to other thrift stores (Tahoe Forest Hospice Thrift, St. Vincent, or Goodwill in Reno, for example).
- On occasion, children’s clothing and women's clothing that cannot be sold in the store are re-donated to RISE in Sparks, the Domestic Violence Shelter.

“We wanted to really embrace the idea of sustainability,” says Sarah Svoboda, general manager of Thrifty Tails Boutique. “Our store is only so big, and we had to make choices of what we could sell and what we couldn’t, but we didn’t want to throw anything away if we could help it. So any items that we cannot sell, we enter into one of our other sustainable donation bins or recycle programs. Very rarely are we throwing items into the dumpster.”

While it is HSTT’s hope that community members will review its acceptable donation list and find other places to donate items that Thrifty Tails doesn’t accept, with these policies in place, most of the unsellable items it receives will most likely avoid the landfill.

“This is not your ordinary thrift store. In true HSTT fashion, and after a great deal of research, we have brought together a unique thrift experience for our community featuring high-quality, boutique-style items, with ready-to-wear options as well,” says HSTT CEO Stephanie Nistler. It’s been years in the making, and now this dream has become a reality. If you have not yet visited, come check it out.”

Net proceeds from Thrifty Tails Boutique go to HSTT’s rescuing and rehoming of at-risk homeless pets as well as vital services, assisting people and pets in the greater Lake Tahoe area, such as their Community Spay/Neuter, including free assistance for feral cats, Community Pet Pantry, Community Pet Medical Grants, Community Pet Wellness Clinics, Humane Education, and Pet Assisted Therapy programs.

Volunteer opportunities

HSTT is always looking for more volunteers to help run its store. If you are interested in volunteering at Thrifty Tails Boutique, please reach out to Erin Ellis, HSTT's Community Engagement Director, at erin@hstt.org.

Donate items for the cause

While we appreciate the intention of all donations, due to space constraints, sellability, and legal reasons, we cannot accept everything, so please be sure to check our lists of acceptable and unacceptable items, https://hstt.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Dos-and-Donts-Lists.pdf

Thrifty Tails Boutique is located at 12047 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, Calif. They can be reached at 530-536-3850, thriftytails@hstt.org.

For more information about HSTT’s Thrifty Tails Boutique Thrift Store visit https://hstt.org/how-to-help/shop/thrifty-tails-boutique/.

Open for shopping: Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Donations drop-off: Monday – Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm