It's always the case in January that op shops are inundated with donations, particularly clothing, as New Year's resolutions see people clear out their closets and attempt to get organised.
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But this year has been the biggest yet for many local pre-loved retailers after Canberrans cottoned on to the viral Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, which sees her clients rid themselves of any possession that doesn't "spark joy".
The Green Shed, which operates three stores across the capital as well as offering free clothes at its Hume and Mitchell locations, describes its current offering of freebies as "mount clothesmore".
"[The pile of free clothes] in our carport in our drop off area is probably about three to four metres wide and 10 foot tall," co-owner Charlie Bigg-Wither said.
"We've never actually thrown any clothes away but we're looking at it wondering what we can do with it."
The pile, Mr Bigg-Wither says, seems to be a product of people moving from and to Canberra in the new year, as well as the Tidying Up series, which has been a hot topic on The Green Shed's Facebook page.
And, while their massive range is great for locals looking for a financial hand post-holiday season, and "hipsters" scouring for designer finds, the stack could prove problematic if the clothes don't get taken.
"There's a bit of a fad these days, people trying to declutter their lives ... with clothes especially. There's about 20 per cent more [here than last year]. We can get three to four tonnes per day," he said.
"The problem is ... we have to sort through it before we put it out for free.
"It's getting to the point where we might have to [throw it out]."
Taylor Pitsilos, co-owner of Designer Op Shop Emporium in Fyshwick, gets new stock through private buyer's appointments with those offering up their higher-end items.
She, too, has seen an increase in the number of Canberrans willing to part with their belongings, including furniture as well as clothing.
"Normally I'd be getting two people [for buyer's appointments] a day. I've been getting seven to 10 ... there is a lot more on offer," she said.
Another local retailer, ADRA Op Shop in Braddon, has stopped receiving clothing donations altogether after they were overwhelmed with items, a staff member said.
Sophie Scott Morris, a public servant from Jerrabomberra, said she started to 'Tidy Up' immediately after watching Marie Kondo's show, following the Japanese author's rule of only keeping items that "spark joy".
"I watched Marie Kondo on New Year's Day and immediately just realised how much clutter and objects I had accumulated," she said.
"The 'spark joy' [idea] made sense ... I value the objects I do have now and I want to make sure they're nicely displayed."
However, she says she's since made a vow to minimise her waste in the new year, and stop buying new clothes entirely.
"I ended up donating three bags of clothes to the Salvation Army and then got to work on my son's wardrobe, where I have put aside nine bags of clothes. A lot of them still had tags on and had never been worn," she said.
"I plan on going through each room and I've made a commitment not to buy clothes this year."
Mr Bigg-Wither says that as long as Canberrans are conscious about their purchases, services like The Green Shed's free clothing offer a great benefit to the community.
"We have a lot of groups that come and collect the clothes - a lot of them go to the Pacific Islands and Vanuatu ... [and] there's lots of people that take the clothes," he said.
"We are just pulling our hair out thinking, 'why do people pay for this stuff in the first place?' It's all about fast fashion."
