What Happens When We Throw Away Clothes
Fashion consumption is at its peak and continues to increase day by day. We are throwing away over 10 million tons of clothing a year and hooked on buying new clothes to stay on trend. A study found that close to 10% of tossed clothing is never worn, new with tags.
The Majority Of Clothes End Up in Landfills
Sadly, the majority of clothes end up in landfills which is most harmful to our planet. When clothes are decomposing, they emit carbon dioxide and methane gas. They are the third biggest source of methane gas in the atmosphere. In landfills, clothes do not biodegrade. This is one of the major issues and causes of global warming. Chemicals that are commonly used in processing and manufacturing clothing nowadays such as dyes, chemical solvents, and waterproof materials leach into the ground and cause severe environmental damage.
Reasons You Should Not Throw Your Clothes
We often donate our old clothes and don’t give them a second thought. Unfortunately, this is not the only solution because whether we are donating them or exporting them to other countries and getting refunds, they still end up in landfills. Up to 80% of all clothing ends up in a landfill, even those that are donated.
According to reports, it takes $40 to $50 to decompose one ton of waste in a landfill. For example, fashion city New York spends almost $20.6 million every year to decompose their textile waste and the cost is increasing each year due to increasing textile waste.
Approximately 95% Of Textiles Are Recyclables
Recycling helps keep clothing out of landfills by extending the life of existing fibers. For recycling, textiles are sorted on the basis of materials and colors. This helps to reduce the rate of redying and helps to save energy and reduce land pollution.
What We Can Do:
The numbers don’t lie, we are producing far more clothing than we need. This is leading to an overflow in landfills which is extremely dangerous for humans and all other creatures living on earth whether in the sea or on land. We should consider this seriously and try to control it at an individual level. For this purpose, you can try to follow these steps:
- Purchase Less:
Try to reduce your purchase rate as much as possible. Most people buy the stuff from sales and promotional campaigns only due to fear of losing discount even when they don't actually need it.
- Reuse
One cloth can be used in a number of ways. Long-length scarfs can be used to make dresses for kids. Old jeans can be used to make bags. And one of our favorites is to cut and make skirts out of dress shirts. There are many other ways you can reuse old stuff to create fun new stuff. DIY is in right now and the internet is full of great ideas.
- Buy Sustainable and Recyclable
There are many companies that are making sustainable products and reusable fabrics. It is highly recommended to buy and promote these companies. These products are a little more expensive than fast fashion products but they are worth it. You can also use organic materials; they are more effective and can compose much faster and more natural ways.
- Normalize Second-Hand Clothes
We should normalize second-hand clothes. There are many stores that are selling some very good condition second-hand clothes that are very cost effective. This will help to reduce the production of manufacturing and help to lower earth pollution. Be sure to visit our shop for our extensive collection of Hijab Worthy Wearables.
