PikaThrift: Ocean Cleanup Thrift

🎯 Our Mission

Pikathrift is a student-run non-profit built around UN SDG Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. We collect textile waste from beaches before it reaches the ocean, wash and sort every item, then sell clean clothing cheaply to thrift shops so low-income families can afford quality clothes. By giving discarded clothes a second life, we reduce waste, fight fast fashion, and put every dollar back into more cleanups.

🎮 Sort the Clothes!

Clothes are falling into the ocean. Click them before they sink! Miss 5 and it is over. Hit 3 in a row for a combo bonus. 🌊

Score: 0Missed: 0/5Time: 30s

Click Start to Play! 👕

🏆 High Score: 0

🎯 SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & Production

🎯 UN SDG Goal 12

Responsible Consumption and Production is one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It calls on governments, businesses, and individuals to change the way we produce and consume goods — cutting waste, reducing environmental damage, and building a circular economy by 2030.

Target 12.5 — Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. Pikathrift directly addresses this target by intercepting textile waste on beaches before it enters the ocean and extending every garment's life through resale at thrift shops.

Target 12.8 — Ensure that people everywhere have relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature. Pikathrift spreads this awareness through flyers, social media reels, and community outreach.

Every pound of clothing we rescue is a concrete step toward the world SDG 12 envisions: one that produces less, wastes less, and reuses more.

⚠️ The Problem

of all textiles are actually recycled

35%

of ocean microplastics come from synthetic textiles

25%

of new garments remain unsold due to overproduction

1.4

quintillion microfibres in our oceans

"It has been estimated that 1.4 million trillion microfibres are currently in the oceans and if the fashion industry continues in a business-as-usual scenario, between 2015 and 2050, 22 million tonnes of microfibres will enter our oceans."Source: Fashion Revolution

The fast fashion industry mass produces trendy, low-cost clothing. As it grows, more people constantly throw away old clothes to keep up with trends — sending more textile waste into our oceans.

⚙️ How It Works

🌊

Step 1 — Collect

Volunteers use nets and bags to gather textile waste from beaches and coastal areas.

🧺

Step 2 — Clean

Every item is washed, dried, and sorted by quality and size at the laundromat.

🛍️

Step 3 — Sell

Clean, sorted clothing is sold affordably to local thrift shops for resale.

♻️

Step 4 — Repeat

Every dollar earned is reinvested into more nets, more cleanups, and more impact.

📊 By the Numbers

Clothes collected per month (goal)

Volunteer goal to start

Monthly revenue (projected)

Monthly surplus reinvested

👥 Our Team

💚 "We clean to make the Earth green."

🤝 Our Community

Our community is made up of eco-conscious young adults who have the time and passion to help with our beach cleanups. We grow through flyers and brochures that spread the word and invite more people to join. Our volunteers are the backbone of Pikathrift. Together we are building a movement that helps both people and the planet.

🛤️ Our Journey

⚡ Challenges

Had to pivot from our original idea
Tough decisions about the logo
Editing 10-second and 30-second reels
Balancing acting, recording, and editing

🌟 Highlights

Recording our reels
Editing the final videos together
Acting and bringing the brand to life
Building our website at pikathrift.com
Seeing the project come together

🚀 Our Goals

🌊

Get many volunteers and clean beaches of textile waste, giving clothes a second life while helping the ocean.

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Grow Pikathrift into a recognized organization so our positive impact on the oceans keeps expanding.

♻️

Reinvest every dollar into upgrading our operations and increasing our environmental impact.

🧮 Impact Calculator

How much would you collect?

Pounds of clothes collected

🧵 Microplastics prevented154 g

👕 Items given new life~2,200

💧 Water saved44,000 L

🌿 CO₂ equivalent saved440 kg

💰 Revenue generated$660

💰 Financials

Starting Costs

Nets (5 x $21.99)$110

Drying racks (2 x $11.99)$24

First month of operations$610

Starting donations-$150

Funding needed$594

Monthly Costs

Laundromat$90

Cleaning supplies$15

Trash bags$12

Unsold inventory$50

CapCut Pro$25

Claude Code$20

Domain (pikathrift.com)$12

Transportation$125

Contingency$261

Total$610

Monthly Revenue

Sales (440 lb x $1.50)$660

Donations$150

Total$810

Month 1 surplus$66

Ongoing monthly surplus$200

💙 Our Charity of Choice

🌊

Save Our Shores

Save Our Shores is a non-profit dedicated to saving marine habitats from plastic pollution, offshore oil drilling, and more. They host regular beach cleanups just like us — we chose them because our missions align perfectly: cleaner beaches, healthier oceans, a better planet.

📚 Sources

National Library of Medicine (PMC)"Sustainable Development Goals for Textiles and Fashion." Official U.S. government website. Cited for textile recycling rates, overproduction, microplastics, and water consumption statistics.

Fashion Revolution"What's In Our Clothes and How Does it Affect the Oceans?" Non-profit focused on fashion and the environment. Cited for microfibre pollution statistics.

Marketplace"What can clothing retailers do with all that excess inventory?" Non-profit raising public awareness about economics and tech. Cited for the Burberry unsold merchandise statistic.

Goodwill"What Is Goodwill's Diversion Rate From The Landfills?" Non-profit focused on giving clothes a second life. Referenced for textile diversion and resale context.

Pikathrift