How much clothing ends up in landfills?
Almost 80 per cent of unwanted textiles end up in landfill, a report finds.
Landfills received 11.3 million tons of MSW textiles in 2018. This was 7.7 percent of all MSW landfilled.
An estimated 85 per cent of all textiles go to the dump every year, according to the World Economic Forum, enough to fill Sydney Harbour annually. Globally, that's the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles being burned or going into landfill every second.
The fashion industry overproduces products by about 30-40% each season, contributes roughly 10% of all global carbon emissions and is the world's second worst offender in terms of water and plastic pollution.
“The current fashion system uses high volumes of non-renewable resources, including petroleum, extracted to produce clothes that are often used only for a short period of time, after which the materials are largely lost to landfill or incineration,” says Chetna Prajapati, who studies ways of making sustainable textiles ...
While you may donate your old clothing to charity, the truth is, even then, a whopping 84 percent of our clothing ends up in landfills and incinerators, according to the EPA.
Fast-fashion choices are ending up in landfills.
The Council for Textile Recycling reports that the average American throws away between 70 and 81 pounds (30-36 kg) of clothing and other textiles annually. Globally, 17 million tonnes of clothes go to landfills — mostly in the Global South.
Huge heaps of used and unsold clothes have piled up in the Atacama desert in Chile in recent years. A symbol of the hidden cost of fast fashion, they show the industry's disastrous environmental impact.
But Americans still throw away 13 million tons of textiles — about 85 percent of their clothes — each year, accounting for 9 percent of total non-recycled waste. Hawley said retraining consumers to buy fewer, better-quality clothes at a higher prices would mark a major step toward reducing that waste.
The EPA reports that Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste a year, equaling just over six percent of total municipal waste (for context, plastics make up 13 percent of our waste stream). On average, 700,000 tons of used clothing gets exported overseas and 2.5 million tons of clothing are recycled.
How often are clothes thrown away?
Problematic end-of-life solutions
Contrary to popular belief, a lot of our clothes aren't recyclable. It's said that only 13.6% of clothes and shoes thrown away in the US end up being recycled and that just 12% of the material used for clothing ends up being recycled.
Every day about 150 to 200 tonnes of textile waste – between 60 to 75 truckloads – ends up dumped, burnt, or sent to overflowing dump sites like Dandora.
Australia is the second highest consumer of textiles per person in the world, after the United States of America. Each Australian consumes an average of 27 kilograms of new clothing per year and disposes an average 23 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year, or 93 per cent of the textile waste we generate.
Textile waste diversion is an important issue because it is growing into a major component of our landfills. Textile and material waste makes up 9.5% of municipal solid waste generated in America every year.
Why It Matters: H&M's fast fashion model, replicated by brands such as Zara and Gap, has helped fuel the meteoric rise in clothing waste. 100 billion garments, about 92 million tonnes, purchased every year are thrown away (the usage rate of a piece of clothing is seven to ten times before it's discarded.)
It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. Even washing clothes releases 500 000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.
According to the Institute of Sustainable Communication, the clothing industry is the world's second-largest clean water polluter. The industry also emits 10 percent of the global carbon emissions, which is more than international flights and maritime shipping and produces 21 billion tons of waste each year.
In America alone, an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste – equivalent to 85% of all textiles – end up in landfills on a yearly basis. That's equivalent to approximately 81.5 pounds (37 kilograms) per person per year and around 2,150 pieces per second countrywide.
Clothes can be a little pricey in Chile compared to your country back home, but there are plenty of places to find some bargains and a ton of choice when it comes to clothes shopping.
Production. The global fashion industry produces more than 100 to 150 billion items of clothing per year. Sources: more than 100 billion according to McKinsey & the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The World Economic Forum & ShareCloth state that 150 billion garments are produced in a year.
How much clothing waste is produced each year?
The EPA reports that Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste a year, equaling just over six percent of total municipal waste (for context, plastics make up 13 percent of our waste stream). On average, 700,000 tons of used clothing gets exported overseas and 2.5 million tons of clothing are recycled.
Some Facts About Textile Waste (Council for Textile Recycling) 15 percent of that gets donated or recycled, and the remaining 85 percent goes to landfills. That's 21 billion pounds of textile waste going to landfills per year!
Why It Matters: H&M's fast fashion model, replicated by brands such as Zara and Gap, has helped fuel the meteoric rise in clothing waste. 100 billion garments, about 92 million tonnes, purchased every year are thrown away (the usage rate of a piece of clothing is seven to ten times before it's discarded.)
It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year. Of the total fibre input used for clothing, 87% is landfilled or incinerated, representing a lost opportunity of more than USD 100 billion annually.
But Americans still throw away 13 million tons of textiles — about 85 percent of their clothes — each year, accounting for 9 percent of total non-recycled waste. Hawley said retraining consumers to buy fewer, better-quality clothes at a higher prices would mark a major step toward reducing that waste.
Problematic end-of-life solutions
Contrary to popular belief, a lot of our clothes aren't recyclable. It's said that only 13.6% of clothes and shoes thrown away in the US end up being recycled and that just 12% of the material used for clothing ends up being recycled.
Fast-fashion choices are ending up in landfills.
The Council for Textile Recycling reports that the average American throws away between 70 and 81 pounds (30-36 kg) of clothing and other textiles annually. Globally, 17 million tonnes of clothes go to landfills — mostly in the Global South.
Each year in America, 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown away, taking an average of 30 to 40 years for just one pair to decompose.
Textile waste diversion is an important issue because it is growing into a major component of our landfills. Textile and material waste makes up 9.5% of municipal solid waste generated in America every year.
Our strict Code of Conduct prohibits suppliers from using child or forced labor and we do not tolerate non-compliance.
How much waste does Shein produce?
Polyester production of it has doubled in the last 20 years. Making a year's supply of polyester gives off the same amount of CO2 as 180 coal-fueled power plants, roughly 700 million tons of CO2. Beyond that, hazardous chemicals have been found in some Shein products.
H&M and Gap industries are both terrible companies because they both uses child labor.
It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. Even washing clothes releases 500 000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.
According to the Institute of Sustainable Communication, the clothing industry is the world's second-largest clean water polluter. The industry also emits 10 percent of the global carbon emissions, which is more than international flights and maritime shipping and produces 21 billion tons of waste each year.
Greenhouse gas emissions by the global textile industry are greater than those from shipping and international air travel, combined. The fashion industry produces about 53 million tonnes of fibre every year, 70% of which ends up in garbage dumps, or is incinerated.
