Clothes Waste – The Silent Killer

It comes as no surprise humans throw away a lot of garbage. In fact, the average American throws away 81 pounds of clothes per year. In total, that’s 13 million tons of clothes thrown out per year in just America. These statistics make sense, as consumers throw away 60% of their clothes in the first year. Despite this, many Americans are still not able to afford basic necessities including clothing. 

With all these clothes being wasted, it has really taken a toll on the economy. In fact, clothing disposal alone is responsible for costing the global economy over $400 million per year.

Aside from economic impacts, there are also environmental consequences. This is because when clothes are sent to landfills, they take over 200 years to decompose and during that process, they generate toxic greenhouse gases such as methane. Furthermore, toxic chemicals used in the material of the clothing or the dye of the clothing may seep into the ground and have other environmental effects.

While the effects of clothing waste are severe, it is also really easy to prevent. There are clothing drives constantly going around in every area. For example, Goodwill Industries is an international organization with the aim of giving old clothes a new life. In 2019 alone, they are responsible for taking used clothes and redistributing it to impact over 25.7 million individuals. By donating to a clothing drive rather than throwing your clothes away not only helps those in need of clothes but also decreases the devastating environmental and economic effects of clothing waste.

Besides donating used clothes, you can also make sure to buy higher-quality clothes. Cheaper fast fashion clothes from off-brand companies tend to have poorer quality and thus, go to the landfill sooner. Furthermore, these clothes are made from cheaper and more polluting materials. Higher quality clothes from name brands tend to have better quality and better reuse value.