Dear Recycle Lady,
Is textile waste as bad as I have heard it is? Surely unworn new pieces of clothing are not sent to a landfill.
That’s Unbelievable
Dear That’s Unbelievable,
This question was a real eye opener. According to environmental-action.org, the equivalent of one dump truck full of clothes is sent to the landfill or incinerator every second. By design, the fast fashion industry figures it is cheaper to “over produce clothes as fast as possible.” When a textile is overproduced, it becomes overstock and is often is dumped in a landfill. Not only does overproduction result in waste in the landfill, our natural resources are wasted in the production itself. According to fashionunited.uk, production of one T-shirt requires more than 700 gallons of water (the amount of water an average person drinks in 2.5 years) and the amount of carbon emissions released is the same as driving a car 10 miles.
Here are some facts about textile waste, according to https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/infographic-the-extent-of-overproduction-in-the-fashion-industry/: “Worldwide, 150 billion garments (20 items per person) are produced each year, 30% of which are never sold; the average American buys 70 apparel items per year; over 50% of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year; and 12.8 million tons of clothing are sent to landfills annually, producing over 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.”
California currently has the first evertextile-recycling bill, Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, in process. In the meantime, citizens are encouraged to take unwanted clothing and household textiles to thrift stores, charities, and other possible sites that accept donations. As California Senator Josh Newman says, “this bill is a step towards a sustainable, market-aligned, circular economy.” Although clothing is the main source of textiles sent to landfills, it is not the only source according to epa.gov: furniture, carpets, footwear, sheets, and pillowcases are also wasted.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What is upcycling? Is it the same as recycling?
Something New
Dear Something New,
Upcycling is a special kind of recycling. When an item is upcycled, it is reused or recycled into a product that has a higher value than the value of the original item. Or, it is used to create something entirely new. Most recycling is downcycling or making a lower grade version of the same product. An example of Upcycling is making new shoes from recycled plastic bottles, while an example of downcycling is making lower quality plastic bottles from recycled plastic bottles. Upcycling supports a circular economy in which goods are used and reused many times instead of getting thrown out after one use. A circular economy is more sustainable as it uses what we have instead of creating new products out of new materials. It also reduces landfill wastes and minimizes carbon emissions.
Good News: Kudos to the Governor of California for signing a law banning all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores and all checkout lanes. According to Environment America Research & Policy Center, 12 states have plastic bag bans in place and hundreds of cities across 28 states have plastic bans in place.
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to grecycle450@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
