There are plenty of ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint and minimize your impact on the environment. Most people jump straight to recycling and clean energy, but you can actually make a significant difference in another area of your life: your wardrobe.
The average American throws out about 68 pounds of clothing every year but only purchases about 10 pounds of previously-used clothing. Plenty of clothes are thrown out before they’ve even seen a full life of use. The recovery rate for used clothing and textiles was a mere 15.3% in the U.S. in 2011, and an estimated 90% of clothing and textile waste discarded in that year could have been reused or recycled.
Recycling unused or unneeded clothing can reduce landfill waste and minimize environmental polution. In 2006 alone, Americans managed to save 2.5 billion pounds of fabric from landfills through used-clothing purchases, and in 2012, Americans recycled or composted nearly 87 million tons of material.
So what can you do to reduce clothing waste?
One of the most important things with any conservation strategy is to avoid using the manufacturing process. When it comes to clothing, this means purchasing clothes from stores that accept clothing donations and sell them secondhand. Most clothing donations are inexpensive and thoroughly cleaned before going onto the rack.
Buy buying used clothing, you’re reducing your reliance on the manufacturing process, which in turn will produce less waste. You’re also getting nice clothes for a fraction of the price they’d usually cost.
You can complete the circle of recycling if you donate clothes when you no longer want them. There are plenty of places that accept clothing donations, and many go to great causes like helping military families. There are even charities that will pick up donations if you don’t want to leave the house to drop them off.
Donating your clothes and buying used clothes is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment.
