The Fashion Challenge
Our ravenous appetite for “fast fashion” has some critics worried it’s destroying the planet. Fast fashion is priced cheaper so consumers buy more items than what they need. After wearing something a few times, it’s thrown away, to make room for more new stuff. And the cycle continues…
Most people, however, never stop to realize the negative environmental impact of all this shopping and buying.
FACT: The recovery rate of recycling textiles is low, currently estimated at 15%. That means 85% of discarded clothing ends up in landfills.
FACT: Textiles account for approximately 5 to 6% of the waste stream.
Part of the Solution
Thrift and resale clothing stores are part of the solution! Salvage recycling programs, like that offered by Atlanta Recycling Company, find discarded clothing and other items a second home in the resale market.
Following are additional facts about textile and garment recycling:
- More than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States; this amount has doubled over the last 20 years
- An average American throws away approximately 81 pounds of used clothing per person each year
- On average, nationally, it costs cities $45 per ton to dispose of old clothing
- Many textile items are slow to decompose in the landfill; some synthetic fabrics never decompose
Clothing recycling makes good sense for the environment:
- Keeps clothing out of landfills
- Reduces consumption of energy and water needed to make new clothing; provides overall energy savings
- Reduces demand for dyes, some of which are lead based or toxic for the environment
- Reduces greenhouse emissions
- It reduces trash and dumping fees
- If clothing can’t be recycled, it can be converted to other items: insulation, upholstery stuffing, ingredients to manufacture paper products, etc.
Together, small changes can make a big impact on our planet.
