How to Reduce Textile Waste

What do you do with clothing that’s broken, old, or no longer fits? What about shoes? Accessories? Towels? Bedding? These are just some of the items that make up the 25 billion pounds of textile waste produced every year in the U.S.

While 15% of textile waste is donated or recycled (roughly 12 pounds per person), a staggering 85% (70 pounds per person) of textile waste is sent to landfills. Textile waste makes up more than 5.2% of all municipal solid waste generated in the U.S.and unfortunately, that number is growing.

So what can we do to reduce textile waste? If you guessed reduce, reuse, recycle then you’re right! Here’s how:

Reduce - Buy less stuff

• Plan your shopping. When you shop with the purpose of buying what you need, your chance of making an impulse buy drops dramatically. This means you’ll have less unnecessary items stuck in the back of your closet.
• Be thoughtful as you shop. When you do need to make a purchase, consider the lifespan of the item. Will the item last multiple washes? Will it go out of season in a month? While it might cost you a little more upfront, buying a well made item can save you money in the future when you don't have to keep replacing a poorly made one.
• Borrow clothing! If you have special event to go to, check out a friend’s closet before you hit the sales rack. It’ll save you some money too.

Reuse- Get creative

The Getup Vintage

• Extend the life of a product by repurposing it. If you find clothing, sheets, or towels with holes in them, cut them into smaller strips to use as rags for cleaning! You can also upcycle t-shirts into completely different items like a rug or a produce bag. Learn how to here!
• Purchase clothing, shoes, and accessories from vintage clothing stores or secondhand shops. Reducing textile waste doesn’t mean sacrificing fashion! There are many great second hand shops in Ann Arbor, but if you’re looking for vintage fashion head over to The Getup Vintage, conveniently located close to campus! This store stocks beautiful secondhand clothing, you won’t even remember that your purchase will help to reduce textile waste!
• Donate your textiles to charity or resell your gently used clothing!

Recycle- Say goodbye

• Take your clothing to a municipal recycler to be recycled. Recycle Ann Arbor accepts torn or stained textiles and linens at their drop off station. Charities will also resell textiles to be recycled. Textiles are recycled and converted into reclaimed wiping rags that are often used in as industrial and residential absorbents. Textiles can also be recycled into fibers which are then used to made insulation, carpet padding and other raw materials for the automotive industry.

References

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Council for Textile Recycling. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/about/clothing-life-cycle.html

Lombardo, C. (Ed.). (2013, December 22). The Impulse Shopping Fact Sheet. Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://betabait.com/the-impulse-shopping-fact-sheet/