Surprising Facts About Textile Waste

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America is driven on consumerism. No matter where we look, we are bombarded with advertisement for jewelry, home goods, food, and clothing. However, few realize how severe our country’s spending habits are — and how negatively they’re impacting the environment.
Perhaps the most surprising area that this is rampantly occurring is in the textile industry.
Did you know:

  • The American household disposes of roughly 70 pounds of clothing, shoes and various home textiles each year
  • In total, Americans contribute to approximately 13 million tons of textile waste annually. In contrast, people in the UK waste 1.12 million tons
  • When interviewed, one in four American women report having an average of seven pairs of jeans. Meanwhile, they report only wearing four out of these seven on a regular basis
  • Given these staggering statistics, one wonders why we place so much value in buying clothing when it’s such a huge waste. Luckily, there are things you can do to stop contributing to textile waste:

    Shop Second-Hand
    Go to vintage or second-hand stores next time you’re looking to make a clothing purchase. You’ll be able to find quality clothing for low prices. Plus, you have the benefit of finding yourself a vintage look that will certainly have you looking cool in your recycled dreads!

    Donate Your Clothing
    Whether it’s a clothing drop off or a church collection, there are many ways to make used clothing donations. When you donate clothes, you can donate to a number of charities, including veterans clothing donations, donations for children, and more. When you donate to veterans clothing donations, for example, you know that your clothing will be reused and will effectively help others that are sorely in need. Donating clothing is also a great way to cleanse your life, ridding your home of unwanted things that you have been keeping around for far too long. Trust us, you’ll feel better! Check out this site for more.

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